Social / Unsocial networks

Hi everyone!

After an involuntary break, I'm back with this video about (un)social networks. Discussing the way social networks and technology affects our personal relationships must go further than the question "does technology unite us or divide us?" The implications it has in the way we construct our relationships and the way we relate to ourselves, to our insecurities and aspirations, is also worthy of analysis.

Here are some comprehension questions for a TED Talk on this matter. Before you listen, you may want to check the meaning of "Gallup" and "it drives me nuts".

1. How does the speaker interpret seeing people on their phones while on a date or a dinner? ("What it says to me is...")

2. How do pagers and answer machines compare to technology nowadays?

3. When she was talking to teenagers, what did the bargaining consist in? How did she respond?

4. What do we present on Facebook? Give three collocations.

5. What does she refer to with "emotional turmoil"?

6. How are we "our own personal relations firms"?


The key here (but give us your answers in the comments section).

And you? Which social networks do you use? Do you think they have altered the way you relate to yourself or to others? Tell us in the comments.

Enjoy!

Brain-changing social media

Hi everyone!

Ever wondered how social media use may be changing us physiologically? Some people claim our brains, and even our nervous system, are being rewired by media use, particularly in heavy users.

So click below to find out more about the way we are challenging our brains by stimulating it like never before in history! And also to fill the gaps provided here with up to three words.

Disable closed captions (CC button) to do the activity, and turn them on to check your answers. There's also a key available.

Enjoy!

1. With social media being ______________________ one third of the entire world, they’ve clearly had a ______________________ on society.

2. There are similarities between social media addiction and drug dependence, even if one is a psychological addiction and the other is a ______________________ .

3. It was found that heavy media users did worse in task switching tests. High multi-tasking online can even make it difficult for your brain to commit ______________________ .

4. Phantom Vibration Syndrome is a relatively new phenomenon, where you think you ______________________  your phone ______________________ , but it didn’t.

5. Social media also ______________________  a release of dopamine, with the reward centres of the brain being more active when people talk about ______________________ , as opposed to listening to others.

6. It’s also been found that partners who met for the first time online tend to ______________________  more than those who first met face to face.

7. This increased success in partnerships started online may be due to anonymity or to people being clearer about ______________________ .

Recycling Electronics

Hello again! Happy 2015 to you all!

We're back with a bit of responsible recycling and reuse of electronic devices. It's a very brief video, but it shows us some of the consequences of irresponsible disposal of  electronic waste, as well as some greener alternatives.

Just a regular gapfill for you! We're getting back into shape step by step... I'm still going to let you enjoy some of the holiday season hangover before stepping into more challenging work!

Enjoy! Key available here (but don't rush to it!)

In America, 2m __________________ of __________________ are thrown away every year.

It can leak into __________________ and into __________________.

It’s a cause of environmental __________________ and it can cause harm to the people who __________________.

The biggest __________________ to recycling is cost, which is compensated in this company by fixing and reselling __________________.

They may may take two products __________________ and combine them together to make one that is reusable.

They can recuperate __________________ per cent for reuse.

They track down the reused items __________________ be able to provide that information to environmental organizations and manufacturers. The manufacturers could then decide __________________ to make next.

An EcoATM will let you hand in your cellphone and get cash __________________.