📘 Part 3: Sharing

This episode's vocabulary

Inclined (adj.) - likely or wanting to do something.

Concrete (adj.) - clear and certain, or real and existing in a form that can be seen or felt.

Explicitly (adverb) - in a way that is clear and exact.

Fall into place (idiom) - when things fall into place, they happen in a satisfactory way, without problems.

To collaborate (verb) - to work with someone else for a special purpose.

Clique (noun) - a small group of people who spend their time together and do not welcome other people into that group.

Pull your weight (idiom) - to work as hard as other people in a group.

To wind up (phrasal verb) - to find yourself in an unexpected and usually unpleasant situation, especially as a result of what you do.

Credentials (phrase) - the abilities and experience that make someone suitable for a particular job or activity, or proof of someone's abilities and experience.

To pertain to something (phrasal verb) - to be connected with a particular subject, event, or situation.

To govern (verb) - to have a controlling influence on something.

To overshare (verb) - to tell people too much personal information about yourself.

Consent (noun) - permission or agreement.

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Questions and Answers

M: Let's talk about sharing. How can parents and teachers teach children to share?

R: Oh, well, as ever leading by example helps. If they show concrete models of how sharing can be done, then the children have something to base their sharing on. Another aspect of this will be setting expectations about how to handle sharing and making sure that children are aware of them.

M: Why don't some people like sharing?

R: I suppose they may be enjoying using whatever the thing is, and not want to lose access to it. Maybe they don't have access to other things and giving up access to the shared thing feels like they're losing something important as well.

M: And why is this a problem?

R: Well, because if you don't feel good about giving something up, then you're less likely to do it. And that will make you less inclined to want to share.

M: Is it important to have rules in shared accommodation?

R: Well, I don't know about strict and concrete rules, but some shared understandings about how things are done would be a good idea. I'm not sure it even needs to be explicitly said sometimes, just having a shared culture can be enough for things to automatically fall into place almost.

M: Are there any advantages to sharing your home with other people?

R: Well, definitely, it cuts down on costs. And it's more economical in terms of the use of space. I mean, for example, you can share an electricity bill or rent and housing space is used more efficiently.

M: Why do some people like to share accommodation on campus?

R: Oh, it's a good chance to band together with people who have shared interests or at least a shared space and network with them. You can also collaborate on work and plans. Many people meet their significant others this way too. So there are lots of upsides to having a sort of clique in your accommodation.

M: And are there any problems?

R: Oh, yeah. In terms of problems, I mean, it's easy to see people not pulling their weight in terms of chores or respect in the shared space, for example, by not cleaning up after themselves or playing loud music. Some people even steal things.

M: Do people in your country prefer to share public transport? Or do they prefer private transport?

R: Well, I'm hardly an expert. But if I were to guess I would say they prefer to use their own, or they would use their own if they had the choice. However, many of them don't have that opportunity. So they wind up piling into buses and trains. Private transport is more convenient, usually better maintained and is less affected by strikes. So it's easy to see why that would be the preference. If it is.

M: Is it good to share personal information on the internet?

R: Almost always never. It could be used by predatory companies and individuals in different ways against the people who provided it. Take social networks, for example, all their data is sold to marketing companies to sell adverts and products to people and manipulate them into buying things. Perhaps if it was shared privately, then it would be acceptable as long as it wasn't possible to use it against people. But even then there's no guarantee that that will not happen in the future.

M: And what information is it safe to share online?

R: I would say the less information shared the better. However, I suppose you could get away with sharing your name, your credentials as well. So that people have an idea of the kind of authority which you speak with, and probably your picture too. Everything else, it's a bit too risky in this day and age, I wouldn't share anything beyond that.

M: And is it okay for the employer to share your personal information at work?

R: Well, if we mean personal information, like your name, then yes, because people have to know who they're working with, otherwise nothing would get done. But things like where you live, or I'm thinking like any medical conditions, as long as they don't pertain to your work, then that's inappropriate and probably illegal in some countries.

M: Do you think there should be some laws or rules on sharing personal information online?

R: There are. For example, in the United Kingdom, there's something called GDPR, which I think is something like the general data protection regulations is what it stands for, and that governs how your data is to be treated. There are different classes and categories of information with varying levels of access that other people have to them, because of the problems that have happened with people oversharing information with or without their consent, or having their information shared without their consent.

M: And do you think people will have more problems with sharing personal information in the future?

R: It depends what you mean by that because if you mean will they have problems with like being able to share their information? Probably not. It's easier now more than ever to just click a button and share everything about yourself with the world. But if you mean, having it shared when they don't want that to happen, then I don't know how that will turn out. If the restrictions work as they're intended to, then it should be much less common for people to have things happen to their data without their consent. But it's difficult to say if they're working or not right now. It's only a recent development in law.

M: Thank you, Rory, for your answers!

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Discussion

M: So yeah, sharing. And I think some questions could be about sharing personal data and the Internet and the future. So when you talked about parents and teachers, you said that parents and teachers should show concrete models of how sharing can be done.

R: Yes.

M: So we share. Sharing is done, can be done, and we do the sharing. And parents should show concrete models. So they should be kind of role models of good sharing. And also you used concrete about rules. Like there should be strict and concrete rules. Like concrete rules, what did you mean? Like the actual rules or specific rules?

R: Well, when I talked about concrete rules, I just meant ones that you can see, to be honest. So like a list of rules on the wall. I think if somebody did that, in an apartment that I lived in, I would be like, this is a bit awkward, because this is like being in school. No, we're adults, we can have an adult conversation about rules for interacting with each other.

M: And then you can say, children should be taught how to handle sharing. So we handle sharing, what to share, what not to share.

R: So that's just how to do it, or how to deal with problems that can come from sharing.

M: Some problems can come from sharing. Yeah? Some people dislike sharing, because they don't want to lose access to the knowledge they have, or to some objects they have. So to lose access to something, right? Have access, so I have access to my knowledge or to my own books or clothes. I don't want to lose access to what I have. And I don't want to give it up. So if, for example, you asked me, oh, Maria, could you share your computer, I need to do something. I may not want to give it up and share it with you. My phone, my computer, my books, my clothes, my make-up, my life.

R: Why? What's on your phone and your computer?

M: Oh, there are some, you know, secret data. What did you think of, huh?

R: No, I was just being rude.

M: Yeah, so these are nice phrases, give it up. And give up access to the shared thing.

R: Oh, relinquish access. I should have said that.

M: Relinquish?

R: Yes. If you give up something you relinquish. It just means you... It's another way of saying give up. You withdraw your control over something voluntarily. Relinquish control.

M: Give us a sentence.

R: Oh, I don't know. I'm reluctant to relinquish details of my personal life.

M: To share?

R: Yeah.

M: Wow, relinquish personal details. But isn't it too formal, though?

R: Oh, no. I love the word relinquished. If you say that in your exam, then you're...

M: Oh, my Gosh.

R: Maria was reluctant to relinquish control of her phone to me.

M: Oh, boy, it's so formal.

R: No, it's a good word. I like relinquish.

M: So can we say that some people dislike to relinquish their personal information? They don't want to share personal information.

R: They don't want to relinquish control over their personal information.

M: Relinquish control over their personal information. Wow. Nice. Yeah, about shared accommodation. So people usually share a flat, an apartment. And this is called shared accommodation or a shared flat. So sharing, to share and shared accommodation. We should have strict and concrete rules about it. How things are done, passive voice. So you should discuss how things should be done in this accommodation. And you should have some shared understandings. A nice one, yeah? So you should agree on certain actions. Yeah? And then when you talked about the advantages to sharing your home with others, so you said like it cuts down on costs. So it's a nice phrasal verb. When you share a flat with others, it cuts down on costs. Costs in terms of electricity bills, rent. And then housing space is used more efficiently. Not just like the whole house is for you. But other people are there.

R: But some people might like this. God knows I love having the space to myself.

M: Yeah, yeah. And also, sharing a flat is more economical. Economical in terms of the use of space, for example, yeah? Or is more economical in terms of money. So you save up money on the costs. And you didn't use an article here, Rory, you said it cuts down on costs. Not the costs?

R: Well, what are we talking about? Sharing a space. So it cuts down on costs. But like we understand from this, that I mean, the costs of living in a place. So we shouldn't have to explain it in any further detail. And I gave more examples to support my answer for a high score.

M: Band nine score. Yeah, we kind of do band nine score, but we haven't done Scotland freedom for a while.

R: We have not. So Scotland freedom.

M: No, no. You say Scotland, I say freedom.

R: Okay, Scotland.

M: Freedom. There we go. Let's move on. So people share accommodation on campus. What's campus? On campus.

R: Campus? It's like where they live. A campus is usually a place where a university is located along with its buildings that support it.

M: Yeah. And if you're a student, so you live on campus, and then you share a flat, or what do you call it? Not a flat, but some space with some other people. A room. You have your flatmate or roommates. And then it helps you to band together with people. Band, not bond, not James Bond, band. Band together, it's like connect together with people?

R: Yes, well, to form a group together for a purpose. Band together. Band nine score together.

M: Band nine score. Because you have shared interests. So you share some interests, which means that you have similar interests. You've got a shared culture, shared interests. Or you don't, yeah? And you have this shared space. Then you can collaborate on work, collaborate on your studies. Collaborate - work together. And you can even meet your significant other, your other half. If you want to paraphrase advantages, you can say upsides. So there are lots of upsides to having a shared accommodation on campus, for example. Upsides and downsides. And then the examiner can ask you about problems. So you can say on the flip side. Flip side, like the other side of the coin, on the flip side, or in terms of downsides, you can say that people may not pull their weight in terms of chores.

R: Is it an idiomatic expression?

M: Oh my gosh, idiomatic language! Idiomatic language!

R: If you pull your weight you do the same as everybody else. So you contribute to the work being done in an effective way. If you do not pull your weight, then you are not doing enough.

M: So if, for example, Rory and me were living together, Rory would do all the washing up, he would clean the house, and I don't do anything. And then I don't pull my weight in terms of cleaning. Yeah? Because Rory does all the job. Correct?

R: Yes.

M: So when you live together with somebody, this somebody may not pull their weight in terms of cleaning the house, in terms of chores, housework, yeah? In terms of what else? How else can I use this phrase?

R: Well, if you don't pull your weight in the relationship, it means that you're also not doing enough to keep it going.

M: Yeah, yeah, a nice one. And they may not clean up after themselves, for example. Some people just dislike cleaning and it's okay if everything's dirty, so they don't tend to clean up after themselves. They play loud music, or they cook strange things which smell. Then people share public transport, so have public transport, and private transport. And Rory uses his strategy. I'm hardly an expert. But if I were to guess I'd say they would use their own transport. Hey!

R: I have to get that one in every time and if I don't, like I'm not doing my job.

M: Yeah. You know, I've heard from one listener, our loyal fan. And she texted me that oh, one day, different examiners would start asking themselves, everybody says, I'm hardly an expert, but if I were to guess, where did they take it from? Kind of all IELTS students use the same phrase in speaking. Where did they take it from? So we have started a trend.

R: Don't worry. We'll change it for 2023. It will probably be like I'm hardly familiar with the statistics. But if I were to have a guess, and then we'll keep them fooled for another year.

M: Yeah, dear listener, we have a lot of life hacks up our sleeves. So don't you worry, okay? And Rory uses his favourite phrasal verb wind up. With another phrasal verb pile into buses. So if people pile into buses, what do they do?

R: It's like they're all on top of each other. It's not very, it's not a very comfortable experience. So wind up, the negative result of something after a long process, and then the result being that you're piled up on top of other people, not in a very nice way.

M: So people may not have an opportunity to use private transports, to go buy taxi. So they may wind up piling into buses or trains. Yeah? And private transport is more convenient, better maintained, so it's better kept. It is taken care of. And for the last question, one of the last questions about sharing personal information. I like how you said almost always never. Almost always never? Rory, what is this? A Scottish idiom?

R: No, it just means that...

M: Almost always never.

R: Yeah. Almost. So most of the time. So nearly, nearly all the time, almost always. Nearly all the time it doesn't happen never.

M: Oh, my God. Dear listener, how are you?

R: Where did I say almost always never?

M: Like is it good to share personal information online? And you go almost always never.

R: Yes. Almost always never. But that's just another way of saying no, it's never a good idea.

M: And kind of like the examiner asks you. This could be a strategy, Rory, this is something bizarre.

R: What, instead of saying no, you just say almost always never. And then like almost always, or almost always always.

M: Yeah. How often do you cook? Almost always never. And the examiner goes, what? Or looks at you like ah? Almost always never? Wait, I have to process this. What on earth does it mean? Oh, my God. Yeah, almost always never. So in life, dear listener, when somebody asks you something you say almost always never. Do you like me? Almost always never.

R: No, it wouldn't be almost always never, like it would be like, do you like me behaving in a certain way? And you'd be like, oh, almost always never. Unless it's like funny.

M: Oh, boy, oh, boy. And then using personal information, Rory said that predatory companies. Predatory companies, what are they? Like Google, Coca-Cola, McDonald's?

R: Well, I suppose, well, they're not predatory, are they? They just offer convenience, food and drink to the lowest, like to low-income people really. But that doesn't make them predatory. They're providing a service that you need, like we're talking about companies that will deliberately manipulate you in order to make you buy things. So it could be something like marketing, mental health care to people, when your company is not really providing that. It's just, it's just taking advantage.

M: And when we talk about sharing personal information, we talk about personal data. So if personal data were shared privately, then it would be acceptable. So it's acceptable, it's not acceptable, it's appropriate to share, it's inappropriate to share. And also you could say, the less you share the better. About, again, people, your employer at work, who can share your personal details, yeah, at work online. And then you said it's okay to share your credentials. So credentials mean what?

R: It's just like your qualifications.

M: Education, yeah, background, qualifications. And we can talk about data protection. So there are data protection laws or rules, regulations. So how your data is treated, okay? So your data, your personal details are treated. Treated means are used, are shared or not shared. And also, people can share your personal information with your consent, so with your agreement. Or without your consent, without your agreement. Consent is a precise word to use here.

R: There should never do anything without your consent.

M: Positive. And then, about the future, it's a good phrase to use, I don't know how this will turn out in the future. Turn out - happen, right? I have no idea what could happen with personal information in the future. So it's getting worse or new laws will be introduced or implemented. I don't really know how this will turn out.

R: Or I don't know what will wind up happening.

M: Nice. Sweet. On this jolly note. Thank you very much for listening! Protect your personal information and share your thoughts about this podcast, share this podcast with everybody you know, with strangers, with people, with cats. Yeah.

R: With cats?

M: Yeah, if you have a pet a cat, your cat can listen to our podcast, you know? Why limit ourselves to people?

R: Do the cats have money?

M: Yeah, so this is our premium listener. So our premium listener's cat, or fish, or pet, snakes can listen for free.

R: It's like opera music. If you play opera music when you're pregnant to your unborn fetus it will become cleverer. "Clevererere".

M: Okay, I think this is too much, Rory. We don't really need these details. Bye!

R: Why do we not need to talk about the unborn... Bye!

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