📘 Part 3: Social media

This episode's vocabulary

Novel (noun) - something new and original, not like anything seen before.

Drawn to sth - attracted to something.

To assign (verb) - if you assign a characteristic or value to something, you say that it has it.

Falsehood (noun) - a lie or a statement that is not correct.

Outrage (noun) - a feeling of anger and shock.

To consolidate (verb) - to become, or cause something to become, stronger, and more certain.

To cement (verb) -to make something such as an agreement or friendship stronger.

Avenue (noun) - a method or way of doing something.

Trend (noun) - a general development or change in a situation or in the way that people are behaving.

Ephemeral (adj.) - lasting for only a short time.

Novelty (noun) - something that has not been experienced before and so is interesting.

To stagnate (verb) - to stay the same and not grow or develop.

To crave (verb) - to have a very strong feeling of wanting something.

Inevitable (adj.) - certain to happen and unable to be avoided or prevented.

Augmented reality (noun) - images produced by a computer and used together with a view of the real world.

To capitalize on sth. (phrasal verb) - to use a situation to your own advantage.

To ramp sth. up (phrasal verb) - to increase the speed, power, or cost of something.

Exploitation (noun) - the use of something in order to get an advantage from it.

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Questions and Answers

M: Why do people like to use social media?

R: Oh, I suppose the neutral opinion is that they want to share some aspects of their lives and work with the world in one way or another, whether it's an opinion, or what they had for dinner, or some of their work. And they are awarded with this, with money or attention. So they come back for more.

M: What kinds of things are popular on social media?

R: Cats. Cats are popular. Look at me, I'm done with the trends. No, it's probably easier to say what isn't popular, really. I suppose what they all have in common is that they are something new. The subject can be the same, but the content is novel. So say, well, people like memes, for example. And they might know the format, but they're drawn to the new content that's assigned to that meme.

M: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using social media?

R: Well, in general, we're more connected and more aware of things than before. But this connection and awareness leads us to the wrong conclusion sometimes, because falsehoods can spread faster, or people can wind up exposed to ideas they aren't ready to deal with. And without being prepared, and that can have consequences outside the digital world if people take their outrage to the streets.

M: What do you think of making friends on social media?

R: Well, that's a good place to start. But there has to be something that goes beyond the digital contact on social media. Like, well, it could be face-to-face communication, or playing games together to consolidate and cement the friendship. Otherwise, it's really difficult to maintain if you're just only friends on Facebook, and that's all.

M: But do you think it's possible to make a friend and being friends with them only on social media?

R: You can make friends, but you can't sustain the friendship by just only this avenue. There has to be something concrete.

M: And has this tendency changed over the years? I mean, making friends on social media?

R: Well, more people have it now. So I suppose the number of people who are feeling it, or you are a part of this trend, or tendency are engaging in it. But you know, it still requires something to back it up. Otherwise, it's just a sort of ephemeral thing.

M: Is it easy to find friends on social media?

R: Oh, I'm not sure. Well, I haven't tried because all of my friends I met through face-to-face events, like parties and gatherings or at work, rather than just through social media. I think it's easy to talk to people if real life makes you nervous or anxious about the idea of speaking in person. But I'm convinced that it's easier and more natural to form lasting relationships offline rather than online.

M: Do you think that in the future, more people will make friends on social media?

R: Um, well, it's hard to tell, because so many people are connected with social media now. But if there are more people in the world, and the trend continues the way that it has been for a while, then why not?

M: What social networking websites are popular?

R: Well, the ones that readily feed people's desire for novelty, I would imagine. You can see this in terms of like the big networks being updated constantly with new features and filters, and ways to interact with people and content. When they stop doing this, or they fall behind then they start to stagnate in terms of popularity. That's happening with Facebook now.

M: Do you think that certain social networking websites are going to be less popular in the future?

R: Oh, yeah. Always. Because people want novelty. I've said it a lot this episode, but yeah. People want new things. And if you stay on the same platform forever, then you don't get what you crave.

M: Hmm. Do you think that new platforms are going to be in the future?

R: Yeah, definitely. I think that's pretty much inevitable.

M: What kind of platforms?

R: Well, if I knew that I would be investing in them now and becoming a millionaire. I have no idea. Maybe, like, things connected to augmented reality. That was quite popular for a while. And what's the other thing? It's like augmented reality, virtual reality as well.

M: Do you think that social media trends have changed over the last 10 years?

R: Well, it's all posting pictures or posting content to get attention. So if that's the trend then it's not changed. Maybe the format's changed, but the idea driving it all hasn't changed.

M: What do you think of people who are making big money on social media? Bloggers, like Tik-Tokers?

R: I don't think that's a... Again, I don't think that's a new thing. Like as soon as some new media appears, there's always people who are going to capitalize on this.

M: And do you think people in the past used social media more than today?

R: Well, how far back in the past you want to go?

M: Like, let's say, five years?

R: No, I imagine people are using it a lot more now because there's a greater number of features. And we already talked about this idea of novelty, being a driving force, and what makes social media trends. Well, what ramps them up in the first place, and then what makes them carry on? So no, there are probably more people using it and they're interacting with it more in different ways now than they were previously. Because there're more avenues for exploitation.

M: Thank you very much, Rory. That's the end of the speaking test.

R: Thank God, can we talk about something normal now, not social media?

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Discussion

M: So people are rewarded with money and attention. So people who use social media are rewarded for this with money or attention, with likes and positive comments. Or negative comments.

R: And if you're rewarded with something it means that you're given something nice.

M: Yes. A reward. So a reward for doing this podcast is your positive reviews, your lovely comments.

R: Or money from Vanya.

M: Yeah, all our money comes from Vanya. So yeah. It doesn't come from our listeners. It comes from Vanya. So you've used the word novel.

R: Novel novelty. Yeah.

M: Yeah-yeah.

R: We used it before. It just describes like new things, or the concept of things being new and interesting.

M: Yeah.

R: So it's not referring to novels the books, it's referring to the idea of newness. But we don't say newness, we say novelty.

M: Content on Instagram or Facebook should be novel. Novel means like new, right? And people crave novelty, new things. And another one is crave for, or crave something.

R: We talked about that one before as well. It just means that you really want something, like it's an addiction, must have.

M: I'm craving for memes.

R: I'm craving McDonald's.

M: People like memes, right. And you wanted to say something about memes.

R: Yes, memes. We need to talk about memes.

M: Memes, yeah.

R: Memes, they're the things that make, well, they're, God. How best to describe memes? Because it's a complicated idea. There's two understandings of memes. The scientific understanding is memes are an idea that go around like a virus. And it can be something small, like, like a popular phrase, for example, like quality. Quality is a meme and, or it could be something big, like the idea that there's one God as opposed to many gods. So that's a meme. But there's also a less scientific understanding, which is memes like these little pictures with funny, like expressions on them. And they all have their own language, basically.

M: Yeah, I'm looking at one now. There's a face of a guy laughing his head off. And the line goes like me laughing at my own joke before I even tell it.

R: I don't want to mention specific means because first of all, my memes are old. And they are dunk, which means probably politically incorrect. And also they get quite dated, which means just out of date. But we want our podcast to be relevant, both now and in the future with IELTS.

M: We need to create our own memes.

R: Are there IETLTS memes? Let's check on Google.

M: Let's create them, IELTS memes. Yeah, but a meme could be with a video or it could be with a picture, anything. And people are drawn in by memes, for example.

R: Oh my god, there are IELTS memes.

M: Are they funny?

R: No, they're all absolutely horrific.

M: Yeah, yeah. So we should create some IELTS memes.

R: No, I don't think so.

M: They're gonna go viral.

R: "University, why you no except IELTS 5.5?" "Because it's a terrible score." Anyway. moving swiftly on.

M: So people are drawn in by the new content, right? Or you say people are drawn in by novelty. Right. So drawn in - are attracted to social media by novelty. You've used the word falsehoods.

R: Yeah, that's just another way of saying lies. It's a politically correct way of talking about people who lie. Because accusing someone of lying in some countries like mine is a very serious offense. So if you just change the word and say, I think that might be a falsehood, then it becomes much softer and more politically correct.

M: True. Falsehoods can spread faster. Yes. So people expose their ideas.

R: Well, they expose to ideas. And if they're not prepared for these ideas, they can become outraged. And they might take their outrage to the streets, which is a really nice way of saying they have a riot.

M: Yes. Yep. You've used the word ephemeral.

R: Ephemeral.

M: Yes.

R: Yeah, ephemeral just means it doesn't last very long.

M: Nice. A nice one. Yeah. How can I use it in the sentence?

R: I don't know. Because I can't remember how I used it in the last sentence.

M: You used it really naturally and effectively, Rory. So fame in the world of rock and pop is largely ephemeral. So fame is ephemeral. What about social media? How can I use it about social media? Tik-Tok is ephemeral?

R: Oh, fame and prestige on social media is usually ephemeral.

M: Yeah, we also talked about friends who are made on the social media. So again, on social media, right.

R: And if you have good friends, you have a lasting relationship, which means it goes on for a long time.

M: Forever lasting. So why Vanya, Rory, and myself are having a lasting relationship.

R: I hate all of you.

M: We love you too.

R: It's good to... Even though it's ephemeral it's important to capitalize on social media fame. Capitalize on just means to make money.

M: Monetize it. Yeah. Monetizing. Social media and networking websites feed people's desire for novelty.

R: So if you feed someone a desire for something, it just means you give them what they want.

M: So the answers to speaking part three questions encourage you to use passive voice structures.

R: Did I?

M: Yes, you did. For example, you can see this in terms of the big networks being updated constantly with new features. So you say like, big networks are updated or are being updated constantly with new features. So people are updating big networks.

R: You assume it's people. Maybe it's the algorithm.

M: Yeah, yeah, we don't know who. Right. And it doesn't matter who is doing it. But the fact is that networks are being updated constantly with new features, beautiful. Or, for example, such apps as Instagram, Facebook, Tik-Tok are being updated constantly with new features, filters, ways to interact.

R: I think we've capitalized on our social media presence enough though. Let's bring the episode to a close. You can find us on social media, though. We have Telegram, Instagram, and other "чепуха" that no one knows about.

M: We don't have Tik-Tok yet.

R: Do we not have Tik-Tok?

M: Oh, yeah, we do have Tik-Tok, but nothing is there, right?

R: Nothing is there yet.

M: Oh, okay, yet. Yeah. Thank you very much for listening.

R: Bye!

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