Run of the mill (adj.) ā ordinary and not interesting.
Genuine (adj.) ā real, rather than pretended or false.
To deprive (verb) ā if you deprive someone of something, you take it away from them or prevent them from having it.
Advertising campaign (noun) ā an organized course of action to promote a product or service.
To virtue signal (verb) āto show other people that you are a good person, for example by expressing opinions that will be acceptable to them, especially on social media.
To misrepresent (verb) ā to describe falsely an idea, opinion, or situation, often in order to get an advantage.
To encrypt (verb) ā to put information into code (=a system of words, numbers, or symbols that hides its real meaning)
User-friendly (adj.) ā a user-friendly system or piece of equipment is easy to use or understand.
Notifications (noun) ā a message that is automatically sent to you to tell you there has been activity on one of your social media accounts.
We have also added these words to a āQuizletā set for you to study and revise in your free time: bit.ly/quizlets03e12
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Questions and Answers
Maria: Rory, which social media websites do you use?
Rory: I think I use all of the normal ones like Instagram and VK and Facebook. Itās really just for promotional and work purposes, though. Iām not using them seriously at all.
Maria: How much time do you spend on social media?
Rory: I try not to spend too much time on social media, so maybe like one or two hours a day, maximum. I think itās important not to waste time. And of course, youāve got to be careful you donāt become addicted to social media because it canā¦ well make you anxious, if youāre on there posting things and you donāt get any replies for a while. So itās itās important that you donāt mess up your brain chemistry as well.
Maria: What kind of information about yourself have you put on social media?
Rory: Itās pretty run of the mill stuff, to be honest. Itās just personal details like, well, my name, obviously, and then where I work. I also added a few pictures about my life, well, a few pictures that sort of showcase my life, as it were. But thereās nothing too personal. Itās important for something to look professional as well as just to have professional details.
Maria: Do you have your birthday?
Rory: I donāt know. I put my birthday in with the sign up information, but I donāt know if it shows when my birthday is on my social media or not.
Maria: Are you updating your status?
Rory: No, I donātā¦ I donāt believe in status updates. I thinkā¦ You know, if I have something interesting to post, then Iāll post it. But most of the time, I just prefer to let people come and talk to me about whatās happening. Itās less about seeking attention and more about having genuine conversations with people.
Maria: Dear listeners, just to make it clear - Rory has joined social mediaā¦it was when Rory? When did you join? Two months ago?
Rory: No, no, I joined social media about two weeks ago, to be honest with you. By the time this podcast goes out, itās probably going to be, what, three weeks? Four?
Maria: So Rory has been on social media for three weeks now. Wow! Thatās an achievement! Before that, he didnāt use to have any social media. He was Facebookless, Instagramless, right Rory?
Rory: Yeah.
Maria: And the question is ā why? Why did you deprive yourself of all social media possible?
Rory: I donāt like social media. The only reason I got social media was ā it was a more effective way to stay in touch with people. And even then I doubt that. And the second, even the main reason, to be honest with you, was so I could promote my book. Itās not even that serious. Iām just having fun with different promotional activities that I can do. Iām not really invested in this process at all.
Maria: But was it difficult for you to go from zero with, like, no social media whatsoever and have all the social media.
Rory: Not, so far. Itās been more difficult to create an advertising campaign, to be honest with you, because I had to organize everything in advance, and thatās not going so well. But to actually have access to all of the different kinds of social media, not so much.
Maria: Is there anything you donāt like about social media?
Rory: Yes, everything. I donāt like how people virtue signal. I donāt like how people spread fake news. I donāt like how people misrepresent their lives. Itās designed to do this. Itās designed so that you show the best parts of your life. But no one actually sees how you, like, how you got there. And everyone just assumes like: āOh, this person has an amazing life because they just post all of these positive pictures.ā. But the thing is ā itās not, because they donāt post the pictures of the hard work that it took to get there. And Iām also not sure that all of the increased contact and connectivity that seem to be the advantages are are worth it, to be honestā¦ if thatās the price that you have to pay.
Maria: What kind of chatting apps do people use in your country?
Rory: I donāt know if itās any different from anywhere else, except for China maybe. I think they use a totally different system. But WhatsApp seems to be the most common. āWhatsApp, Please pay us for advertisingā, just because itās encrypted, safe, reliable. And itās pretty user friendly, to be honest. So I think all of these things contribute to being quite a commonplace thing.
Maria: How often are you on WhatsApp?
Rory: I thinkā¦
Maria: Every hour š
Rory: Well, I always have the app open, but I turn off my notifications, so in some ways Iām on it all the time. But at the same time, maybe I only spend like an hour, like, collectively, I spend an hour maximum on it.
Maria: And is your time spent on social mediaā¦ Is it increasing?
Rory: Well, yes, because any increase on zero is an increase. But itās not taken over my life just yet.
Maria: Heās using it more and more, dear listeners! Rory has has just entered the dark side. Is it easy to find a real friend on social networks?
Rory: I donāt think so. I think face to face contact is better with real people that you have real stories and adventures with. There are probably some exceptions to this rule, like some people play video games online with people. But I think real world friendships are more legitimate, to be honest. In the grand scheme of things. Maybe if youāre if youāre doing something together online, even if you havenāt met the people, then itās OK. But just, like, adding people to social media or following people on social media, just ābecauseā, if youāve never met them before is a bit strange for me.
Maria: Rory, thank you very much for your confession.
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