In most developed countries shopping is not only about buying the goods you need, it is also perceived as entertainment. Is it a positive or negative development? Give your own opinion and examples based on your experience.

In most developed countries shopping is not only about buying the goods you need, it is also perceived as entertainment. Is it a positive or negative development? Give your own opinion and examples based on your experience.

 

Shopping as Entertainment 

For inhabitants of the developed economies, shopping is becoming more of a past time - rather than spending money on buying required commodities - with they often entertain themselves. This trend fetches some accolades and brickbats.

Developed countries have influential economies which rely on the spending by consumers. The trend of using shopping as a way to entertain is fueling the consumerist society, which in turn is generating economic activity; assisting in consuming the products being manufactured by the factories; and the services being offered by services establishments. This in turn is generating employment - the workers being employed by the factories and service establishments - at the local and global level.  

On top of that, it is firmly believed that the inclination of inhabitants to go on shopping trips to keep themselves entertained is also preventing many evils and stressful situations. Most of the population of affluent countries spends very less time at work – generally around 35 to 40 hours per week - which leaves them with an abundance of free time which if not consumed in some productive work, is used in activities that often lead to self-harm – sedentary lifestyle, suicides, addiction to drugs and alcohol - or certain crimes which can jeopardize public safety – like murder and burglary.

Quite contrary to the popular beliefs and theories, entertaining oneself with shopping  has many drawbacks. Fostering habit of wasteful expenditure and extravagancy can has a long lasting adverse impact on the people as involving oneself in wasteful expenditure would surely jeopardize finances in future.

Giving lectures in auditoriums to large numbers of students is an old way of teaching. With the technology available today there is no justification for it, and everything should be done online. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give your own opinion.

Giving lectures in auditoriums to large numbers of students is an old way of teaching. With the technology available today there is no justification for it, and everything should be done online. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give your own opinion.

 

Classroom lectures or Internet classes 

Education has witnessed continuous changes since time unknown; and various educationists have experimented with new innovative ways of educating students. Currently, where information technology is ruling the roost, more and more people have started advocating use of online classes to deliver courses because they feel big lecture rooms and audience have become obsolete.

Large lecture rooms require a lot of input of money and space, which is not only an expensive exercise, but also too tedious for many, and to maintain these facilities, varsities need to incur huge overheads which ultimately are transferred to the students in form of raised tuition fees and other expenses. Moreover, the educational establishments also need to admit as many students as possible; and this intent commercializes education.

On top of that, crowded classrooms often impede learning process; as more vocal and aggressive students always tend to take a lead over introverts and silent learners, and in process, the silent pupils never get a chance to put up questions to their lecturers out of fear of being mocked at, or being intimidated by louder students. Besides this, large audience means lot of noise and interference, which eventually makes the course content unclear and sometimes too tedious to be followed, whereas, people pursuing online courses get focused attention of their tutors that is free of any interference and impediments.

However, live classroom lectures are highly beneficial; as these help the students in many ways, like: pupils can get a chance to learn from elaborations given by teachers over doubts expressed by others; and also learn from discussions carried out in classes.

To sum up, I personally feel, whatever may the case, the live classroom lectures and large audience can never be superseded by the currently in vogue online sessions.