Toxic – social media
Toxic is a One2one Academy conversation-based podcast about the impact of social media on society. Learn how to express yourself in English.
Podcast
The world has experienced a dramatic change over the years in terms of the impact of social media. Some say that the younger generation is slowly losing their social skills and that we have passed the point of no return.
This aptly named podcast refers to social media’s impact on our society. So, if you are studying English as a second language, then the first thing you should do is research this topic. Finding new phrases and words that can be used to express an opinion is critical to improving your conversation skills.
Statements
There are plenty of resources online; perhaps that’s a great place to start. Let me introduce some statements to think about at this stage.
- Children’s communication skills have evolved and are now more efficient and effective.
- There is a divide between how the younger and older generations use social media.
- Social media has created a wealth of new types of jobs that have contributed to stronger global economies.
- The education sector has benefited from how social media is used.
- Social media platforms are contributing towards stronger relationships between friends and family members.
Expressing an opinion on topics with more than one point of view will help you improve your conversation skills. I have mentioned a few alternative forms you can use in other podcasts.
Interaction
I wanted to focus on how people interact when they speak to each other. Firstly it would be strange not to give a signal that we are listening to someone. By a signal, I mean some form of sound or, indeed, a sentence to at least acknowledge that you are in a conversation.
This can vary in response, but for now, here are a few different ways that we use when conversing:
- That’s interesting
- I see
- Hmm
You can use many more, but they are considered indicators that you are listening and participating in a conversation. Unfortunately, many students wait to be asked a question rather than ask questions. This can be a fatal mistake since asking questions will help to promote or extend a conversation with someone. Therefore, introducing some questions is good practice to prompt a response.
Voice Tones
The impact of voice tones can indicate emotional content. For example, a louder voice could mean aggression or how strongly you feel about something, whereas a softer voice could be considered more empathic.
On the one hand, learning how to apply voice tones to influence meaning in English is a skill. On the other hand, it will take some time to perfect, so don’t get frustrated and keep practising.
English exams
If you are taking an exam in English, then you should consider some of these styles of questions:
- How has the use of social media changed in the last five years?
- Which platforms do you use and why?
- How often do you post something on a platform?
- In your opinion, what types of new jobs have been created directly from social media?
- Do you think that how we buy products and services is impacted by social media? Why?
- How have you personally benefited from social media? Why?
- Is social media considered a babysitter for the younger generation? Why?
- Do you believe that social media is now a key influencer in the business sector? Why?
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