IELTS Advanced · Cuối khoá · Writing: Commuting Trends & News on Social Media

The table compares the ways in which workers in three cities travelled to work in 2015 and 2025.

Overall, car use declined in all three cities, while working from home at least doubled everywhere. Each city, however, retained a distinctive dominant mode: driving in Northport, cycling in Lakeside and public transport in Eastvale.

Northport was the most car-dependent city, with just over half of commuters (52%) driving in 2015, although this figure fell to 41% a decade later. Lakeside saw an even sharper drop, from 35% to 24%, as cycling, already popular at 25%, rose to 31% and overtook the car as the most common way of getting to work. In Eastvale, driving was a minority choice throughout, accounting for less than a fifth of journeys.

Public transport dominated in Eastvale, though its share slipped from 55% to 47%, whereas in the other two cities it remained broadly stable at between 21% and 30%. The most consistent change was the growth of home working, which rose from 6% in each city to between 12% and 17%, with the highest figure recorded in Eastvale. Walking, by contrast, changed little anywhere.

Over the past decade, social media platforms have overtaken newspapers and television as the main source of news for a large share of the population, particularly younger adults. This essay will examine the reasons behind this shift and argue that, although it brings some benefits, its overall effects on society are largely harmful.

The primary cause is convenience. Most people now carry a smartphone at all times, and news appears in the same feed as messages from friends, so there is no need to seek it out deliberately. Cost is another factor: while many newspapers have introduced paywalls, content on social platforms is free. Finally, many people, especially the young, have come to distrust traditional media, which they regard as remote or biased, and they prefer updates from individuals they feel they can relate to.

The consequences of this trend are mixed. On the positive side, information now spreads with remarkable speed, and ordinary citizens can document events such as natural disasters that professional journalists might not reach for hours. However, the algorithms that determine what users see are designed to maximise engagement rather than accuracy, which means that sensational or misleading stories frequently travel further than carefully verified reporting. Over time, this can leave people trapped in echo chambers, exposed mainly to views that confirm their existing beliefs, which in turn deepens political polarisation. Furthermore, as advertising revenue moves away from news organisations, many local newspapers have closed, leaving some communities with no independent scrutiny of their local authorities.

In conclusion, the move towards social media as a news source stems from convenience, cost and declining trust in established outlets. While it has made information more immediate, its tendency to reward sensationalism and fragment public debate represents a serious challenge for democratic societies.