4. ELECTRONIC OBSESSIONS
11th May
I found it really hard. Facebook
and my friends demanded to
know why I had left. I spent the
first few evenings wondering
what everyone was chatting about
on Facebook. I even phone a
couple of friends to find out. The
fourth night wasn’t quite so bad. I
actually focused on my
homework better and I had more
time to watch my TV
programmes. And I spoke to my
friends during the day at school.
At the end of the first week, I
reactivated my account. I think
Facebook is fun and it’s useful for
posting messages to friends and
sharing photos. But I’ll try not to
spend so much time on it in
future.
Over 25 million people in the UK
use Facebook. That's 45% of the
population! And on average, each
user spends over six hours a
month on Facebook. Is Facebook
a dangerous obsession or just
harmless fun? Seventeen-year-old
Bethan has written on her blog
about what it was like to stop
using Facebook....
1st May
I think I am a Facebook addict. I
log on to Facebook every day to
chat to my friends—real friends
and loads of online friends.
Sometimes I have ten
conversations going at the same
time. I upload photos and update
my Facebook profile all the time.
But recently I’ve started to feel
worried if I am offline for more
than a few hours. And then last
weekend I forgot to meet a real
friend because I was online! I’ve
realised I could have a problem.
So I’ve decided to give it up for a
while …
Facebook and me
by Bethan
NewsToday.com HOME FOREIGN SPORT WEATHER
5. READING
Task 2 - Read the text and answer the questions
1. How often does Bethan go on Facebook?
2. What activities does she do on Facebook?
3. What made her realise that she might have a
problem?
4. How did her friends react when she left
Facebook?
5. What aspects of her life improved after she
left Facebook?
6. In her opinion, what are the advantages of
Facebook?
1. Bethan logs on to Facebook every day.
2. She chats with her friends, uploads photos
and updates her profile.
3. She realised she could have a problem when
she forgot to meet a real friend because she was
online
4. Her friends wanted to know why she left.
5. She concentrated on her homework better,
had more time for TV and spoke to her friends
during the day at school.
6. She thinks it's useful for messaging friends
and sharing photos.
6. LISTENING
Task 3 - Listen to a radio programme about
social networking.
What is Professor Brown's opinion: 1, 2 or 3
1. Lots of people are addicted to social
networking sites but it's just a harmless
hobby.
2. Some people spend too much time on social
networking sites, but it isn't a serious
problem.
3. Some people are addicted to social
networking sites, but that's no different
from being addicted to any other hobby.
7. LISTENING
Task 4 - Listen again. Are the sentences true or false? Correct the
false sentences.
1. Professor Brown thinks that people who spend 30-40 hours a
week on social networking sites have a serious addiction.
2. Professor Brown thinks that Facebook is no more addictive than
hobbies like collecting stamps.
3. The interviewer believes that the online world is also the "real
word".
4. Professor Brown thinks that addiction to social networking sites
isn't a serious problem.
5. The professor thinks that people should go online at night rather
than during the day.
1. Professor Brown does not think you can call this an addiction.
F
F
F
F
T
3. The interviewer thinks that the social networking world is not
real.
4. Professor Brown does think that social networking addictions,
although rare, can be a serious problem.
5. The professor says that you should not use social networking
sites instead of sleeping.
8. SPEAKING
Task 5 - Work in pairs. Discuss
these questions
1. How often do you visit social
networking sites?
2. How long do you usually stay on
them?
3. Do you think teenagers spend
too much time on social
networking sites? Give reasons
Notas del editor
In this part, we will have a lot to say about social networks and other things you can do when you sit in front of the screen.
Are you addicted to it or not? Let's find out.
Now, work in pairs and discuss these questions.You will have 3 minutes to do it.
In this task, you will have 5 minutes to read this article and give answers for the questions on the right.
Every information you need is in the text, so find it out now.
Now, have a look at these questions again, give me your answer and we will check then
This time, you will listen to the interview of Dr. Brown twice. First, you will check if these sentences are True of False. Then, you will have to correct the false sentences.