READING
Exploring
social media
LEVEL NUMBER LANGUAGE
Upper-Intermediate EN_B2_1101R English
(B2)
www.lingoda.com
Learning outcomes
● I can read a text about the
impact of social media and
identify its key points.
● I can talk about how I use
social media and explore the
role it plays in our lives.
2
Warm-up
Are you
on social media?
Which platforms
do you use most often?
3
Exploring social media
Read the text. Answer the questions below.
“The youth of today are all about themselves: it’s all
me, myself, and my social media!”
How many times have those of us in our twenties
heard this from older folks? But do their words hold
any weight or do they simply represent two
generations having lived two very different realities?
One who grew up entirely without the internet versus
another, whose youth came to be defined by it.
1. What do older generations criticise young people for?
2. For the author, what explains the differences between older and younger generations?
4
Exploring social media
Read the text. Answer the questions below.
Older generations have also witnessed real societal
change at the hands of social media. Newspapers, for
instance, now relay what is happening on social
media, rather than simply reporting world events.
World leaders now announce policies and instantly
respond to world events via social media. You can
now become famous overnight, and gain thousands
of followers from one viral video. Even the average
person can curate their own life by only sharing
photos from their best moments on social media.
3. How has social media changed the worlds of media and entertainment?
4. What do political leaders use social media for?
5
Discuss
Do you use social
media to keep up to
date with world
events?
Do you follow any
celebrities online?
6
Interview a partner
In breakout rooms or together as as class.
Even the average person can
curate their own life by only
sharing photos from their best
moments on social media.
If you do, what
photos do you post? Are you guilty of
Do you post photos curating your own
online? life on social media
If you don’t, why do or not?
you choose not to?
7
Exploring social media
Read the text. Answer the questions below.
With so much of our life now taking place online, it’s
becoming increasingly difficult to spot what’s real and
what’s not. How do we cut through the noise and sort
the ‘fake’ news from the ‘real’ news’? Or even
someone’s ‘real life’ from their life on social media?
This culture of “information here and now” goes hand
in hand with a culture of “no limits”. It’s no surprise
we’ve even created a new word to describe the habit
of endlessly scrolling our newsfeeds: doom-scrolling.
1. What problem has increased social media use created?
2. What is ‘doom-scrolling’?
8
Exploring social media
Read the text. Answer the questions below.
Critics of social media even argue that the platforms
themselves actively encourage such addictive
behaviour by designing endless newsfeeds. Even if
our feed runs out of content, the platform will
‘suggest’ new posts for us to look at!
Similarly, sociologists claim that social media has
discouraged genuine social interaction. If we can
chat to hundreds of people online, why would we
bother sitting down to talk to someone in real life?
3. What do critics of social media say the platforms are responsible for?
4. What effect has social media had on how we socialise according to sociologists?
9
This culture of “information
here and now” goes hand in
hand with a culture of “no
limits”.
Real-life language
What’s another way of saying
goes hand in hand with something?
10
Discuss
How easy is it to spot fake
news stories online?
Do you have any tips to share?
11
Read this quote
If we can chat to hundreds of
people online, why would we
bother sitting down to talk to
someone in real life?
Will social media
How do you use
Do you agree with ever replace sitting
social media to talk
this claim or not? down to talk to
to others?
someone?
12
Exploring social media
Read the text. Answer the questions below.
Others see a more beneficial side to prolific social
media use: greater opportunities for romance.
Social scientists have argued, for instance, that online
dating has not only increased the chances of finding a
successful match, but also had an empowering effect
on women and LGBTQ+ people. Both groups often
lose out when trying to date using more traditional
means.
1. Has social media had a positive or negative effect on dating?
2. Who has particularly benefited from online dating?
13
Exploring social media
Read the text. Answer the questions below.
So, has social media made us more or less
connected to each other? That’s still up for debate!
What scientists do seem to agree on, however, is that
finding a balance between online and offline activities
is key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
The future is in our hands. Or should we say: the
future is in the phone in our hands?
3. What do scientists recommend when it comes to our relationship with social media?
14
Discuss
What do you think
about online dating?
What other positive
sides to social media
can you think of?
15
Final thoughts
Has social media
made us more or less
connected to each
other?
What reasons can you give for
your opinion?
16
Let’s reflect
● Can you read a text about the
impact of social media and identify
its key points?
● Can you talk about how you use
social media and explore the role it
plays in our lives?
Your teacher will now make one suggestion
for improvement for each student.
17
End of the lesson
Idiom
to pull the wool over somebody’s eyes
Meaning: to hide your real actions or intentions from somebody by making them believe
something that is not true.
Example: When I compare his real life to his life online, I can see he was really pulling the
wool over our eyes.
Additional practice
Additional practice
19
FOMO
Additional practice
FOMO stands for fear of missing
out. It’s one of the most
widespread negative effects of
social media.
Have you ever
What were you How did it make you
experienced FOMO
missing out on? feel?
before?
20
Discuss
Additional practice
How can we find a
balance between
online and offline
activities?
Do you ever monitor
your ‘screen time’ each
week?
21
Write a list of rules
Imagine you have a teenager at home.
Additional practice
Write a list of 5 rules for them to follow
while using social media.
Share your list with the class.
22
Answer key
P. 4-5: 1. For being all about themselves (and their social media).
2. One generation grew up with the internet, the other without it.
3. Newspapers now report on what is happening on social media. Additionally,
anyone can now become famous - from a viral video - for instance.
4. Announce policies and respond to world events.
P. 8-9: 1. Difficulties differentiating between what is real and what is fake.
2. The habit of endlessly scrolling on social media.
3. They blame the platforms for encouraging addictive behaviours.
4. It has made us socialise less genuinely according to sociologists.
P. 13-14: 1. Positive effect
2. Women and LGBTQ+ people.
3. Scientists recommend finding a balance between online and offline activities.
23
Summary
Vocabulary related to social media
● generations; to witness; instantly; overnight; viral; to curate; to spot; no limits; endlessly
● The average person can curate their own life by only sharing their best moments on social media.
● People can now become famous overnight if a video of theirs goes viral.
Describing the impact of social media
● to encourage; to discourage; interaction; empowering; to lose out; connected
● Sociologists argue that social media has discouraged genuine social interaction.
● Has social media made us more or less connected to each other? That’s still up for debate!
24
Vocabulary
generations to discourage
witness interaction
instantly empowering
overnight to lose out
viral connected
to curate
to spot
no limits
endlessly
to encourage
25
Notes
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