Question Analysis:
Possible Ideas:
Legend:
SV = Supporting Viewpoint
OV = Opposing Viewpoint
Sample Paragraphs:
(OV1)
Detractors of my stand may argue that it has become increasingly unattractive to live in cities today as in our increasingly technologically advanced societies, the chances of falling prey to online security breaches and scams are high. Indeed, this has resulted in citizens becoming distrustful of online data security networks and they are fearful of the invasion of their privacy. As cities are known to be places with a large concentration of wealth, it is inevitable that urbanites become targets of such crimes. For example, in January 2022, OCBC Bank reported a loss of $13.7 million in a spate of phishing scams where Singaporeans clicked on messages with links that tricked them into giving up their bank details. As a result, massive online withdrawals were made and people lost their savings overnight. Additionally, in January 2019, the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Singapore reported that confidential information regarding 14, 200 individuals diagnosed with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and their contacts had been illegally disclosed online and was in the possession of an unauthorised person. Such instances of cyber-attacks demonstrate the vulnerability of our online data and assets. This is partly due to city dwellers’ heavy reliance on technology for multiple users and the common knowledge that cities are places with high concentrations of wealth. While there are deliberate countermeasures taken to reduce the impact and prevent future cyber-attacks, one cannot shake off the feeling that these perpetrators are often one step ahead of us. Nonetheless, I acknowledge the fact that the constant online siege on city-dwellers does reduce the attractiveness of living in cities.
(SV1)
However, we cannot deny that city life has its benefits. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, cities are places with a large concentration of wealth and with that, they attract many investors and entrepreneurs to set up businesses in the heart of the city. Unsurprisingly, these are places where employment opportunities proliferate and individuals who are looking to obtain a decent livelihood and break out of the poverty cycle would be drawn to these places. To illustrate my point, Indonesia’s rate of urbanisation has been growing at a rapid rate, even more than those of China and India. In 2021, it was reported that around 55 per cent of the population currently reside in urban areas, with a constant increase of around 2.5 per cent annually. There are several reasons as to why individuals flock to urban areas and one of them includes the employment opportunities available due to the large number of companies concentrated in these urban areas. Pekanbaru, Sumatra is considered to be one of the best cities for investment in Indonesia for three consecutive years (2014 to 2016). Currently, the city is the host of several mega-foreign companies in the petroleum, oil, pulp and rubber-processing industries. Such an example demonstrates that if cities were truly to be unattractive, there would not be such a high number of citizens migrating from rural to urban areas to seek better job opportunities and improve their lives. Thus, I argue that city life still retains its attractiveness because of their rapid economic growth and employment opportunities available.
Links for Reference:
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/ocbc-phishing-scam-more-losses-victims-reported-2469086
