Technology-mediated communication has changed how people build relationships. Which sentence best expresses this idea?

Technology-mediated communication has changed how people build relationships. Which sentence best expresses this idea?

• A. Technology-mediated communication through various media has changed how relationships are built among people.
• B. Technology-mediated communication which uses various media has changed how people build relationships.
• C. Technology-mediated communication has changed how people use various media to build relationships.
• D. Technology-mediated communication has changed how people build relationships through various media.

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is that technology-enabled communication using multiple media changes the way people form relationships. The best sentence expresses this clearly by tying the change directly to the way communication occurs: it says technology-mediated communication through various media has changed how relationships are built among people. Keeping the modifier through various media attached to the communication itself makes the scope precise—the medium used to communicate is what influences the relationship-building process. Other phrasings can shift the emphasis or introduce ambiguity. For example, implying that only some technology-mediated communication uses various media, or suggesting people use media to build relationships (instead of the communication channel driving the change), or moving the modifier to the end in a way that hints relationships are built through media rather than the communication happening through media. The chosen sentence avoids these shifts and most naturally conveys that it’s the mode of communication—across different media—that has altered how relationships are formed.

The main idea being tested is that technology-enabled communication using multiple media changes the way people form relationships. The best sentence expresses this clearly by tying the change directly to the way communication occurs: it says technology-mediated communication through various media has changed how relationships are built among people. Keeping the modifier through various media attached to the communication itself makes the scope precise—the medium used to communicate is what influences the relationship-building process.

Other phrasings can shift the emphasis or introduce ambiguity. For example, implying that only some technology-mediated communication uses various media, or suggesting people use media to build relationships (instead of the communication channel driving the change), or moving the modifier to the end in a way that hints relationships are built through media rather than the communication happening through media. The chosen sentence avoids these shifts and most naturally conveys that it’s the mode of communication—across different media—that has altered how relationships are formed.