1、Social Media Social Media and Online Safetyand Online SafetyUnit 4 Unit 4 Warm-up Listening and Speaking Viewing and SpeakingCONTENTS Project1Warm-up1 Social media is the collective of online communicationchannels for community-based input, interaction, content-sharing and collaboration. Work in pai
2、rs to name some common social media home and abroad, and talk about why you tend to use some communication channels rather than others.Warm-upFacebook is a popular free social networking website that allows registered users to create profiles, upload photos and videos, send messages and keep in touc
3、h with friends, family and colleagues. According to statistics from the Nielsen Group, Internet users within the United States spend more time on Facebook than any other website.Twitter is a free microblogging service that allows registered members to broadcast short posts called tweets. Twitter mem
4、bers can broadcast tweets and follow other users tweets by using multiple platforms and devices.Reference answersWarm-upWikipedia is a free, open content online encyclopedia created through the collaborative effort of a community of users known as Wikipedians. Anyone registered on the site can creat
5、e an article for publication; registration is not required to edit articles. Wikipedia was founded in January of 2001.LinkedIn is a social networking site designed specifically for the business community. The goal of the site is to allow registered members to establish and document networks of peopl
6、e they know and trust professionally.Reference answersWarm-upBesides the above-mentioned communications channels, we have QQ, Microblog, WeChat, etc. The first one I used is QQ, because it first came into existence. The biggest advantage of it is that it enables me to send large attachments. I still
7、 use it now when I am in front of the computer. I also use Microblog, but I use it less often now, because not many people use it now. This implies ones choice of communications channels is affected by others. Its main function, I think, is like a diary, which is a record of what I do, and what I th
8、ink. It is also focused on current social events. Reference answersWarm-upWhat I use the most often now is WeChat. It is a mobile text and voice messaging communication service developed by Tencent in China, first released in January 2011. It is the largest standalone messaging app by monthly active
9、 users. It is the newest app among the three, but probably has the most users now. WeChat provides text messaging, hold-to-talk voice messaging, broadcast (one-to-many) messaging, sharing of photographs and videos, and location sharing. Photographs may also be embellished with filters and captions,
10、and a machine translation service is available. So I use it to send text messages, voices, photos both for fun and for work.Reference answersWarm-up2 Work in groups. Each of you introduces one of yourfavorite apps. You may refer to the following points. name function intended users popularity how to
11、 use it room for improvementsWarm-upI like to use many apps, such as Kuwo Music (酷我音乐), Meituxiuxiu (美图秀秀), Dazhongdianping (大众点评), and Tushubiji (涂书笔记). Many others must know the former three. So I will introduce the last one, Tushubiji. The name is interesting, because it reads like Dushubiji, whi
12、ch means that one takes notes while reading. But the first word in this app is “tu”, which means “daub”: to highlight, or include a certain area of the photo you have just taken of a book page. Its main function is to convert the printed words in a book into electronic version. It is intended for th
13、ose who often read books, and who are relatively more high-tech such as teachers and students. It works very easily. First, you download it to your smartphone, and then log in it. But you have to register, or use your sina Microblogusername if you already have one. Reference answersWarm-upYou open t
14、he app, take a photo of the few lines of a book page that you want to record, and then daub the part you want with your finger, press the tick () icon. Miraculously, you will see that the part of the photo you daubed just now has transformed into Chinese characters in a word the book is in Chinese.
15、If the book is in English, you just need to press “English”, then the photo will be transformed into English words. Then press “next step” and “finish” to save the note. You may edit, and share the note if you like. The drawback is that the area you may scan and record is relatively small, may be ju
16、st half a page. But its better than none. It is a very new app, and I hope it will be improved as time goes on.Reference answersWarm-up2 Listening and SpeakingTopic OneWhat is mass media?1 Listen to a talk and choose the best answer to the questions.Listening and SpeakingWhat is mass media?Listening
17、 and understanding1 Which of the following is NOT a form of mass media? B. Alternative media.2 Why do many media outlets have a web presence? A. To make full use of the Internet. 3 What are the major differences between mass media and local media? C. Local media has a smaller audience and is more re
18、gional.4 Why does the talk cite the example of The Guardian ? D. To show that certain local media can be upgraded to mass media.5 Which of the following is one of the criticisms of mass media? A. It fails to address numerous interesting local stories.6 Why is it important to understand mass media? C
19、. Because it helps us to understand a people and culture.2 Listen to the talk again and complete the summary.Listening and SpeakingListening and understandingWhat is mass media? Mass media is intended for 1) _, and it is sometimes used as a synonym for “2) _”. It takes the forms such as 3) _, print
20、media and the 4) _, which includes Internet and mobile mass communication. Many media outlets maintain a web presence to take advantage of the 5) _ of the Internet. As opposed to mass media, local media covers a much smaller 6)_, focusing on 7) _ of interest. Mass media is criticized to be too topic
21、al as it covers 8) _ news and addresses few local stories. Besides providing the news, mass media also includes 9) _ and may also be educational. Understanding mass media is usually 10) _ to understanding a population and culture. By viewing different sources of a nations media, one can get clues in
22、to 11) _.a large audiencemainstream mediabroadcast mediadigital mediaready availabilitypopulation and arearegional newsnational and internationalentertainmentkeyhow people think3 According to the talk, mass media, apart from providing the news and entertainment, may also be educational in nature. Wo
23、rk in groups to share your experiences of being educated through mass media, such as radio and television, etc.Listening and SpeakingThinking and speaking Television can be a powerful entertainment and education tool for children. When I was a kid, my parents were busy at work, so I spent most of my
24、 leisure time in front of TV. Reports have indicated that many families in the US have their TV on an average of six hours per day and the average child in fact, views 1,500 hours of television per year compared to spending only 900 hours per year in school. In this case, the programming of TV prove
25、s even more important. I benefited much from TV programs. What is mass media?Listening and SpeakingThinking and speakingI enjoyed watching programs such as CCTV news, quiz shows, cartoons, and sports programs. These programs are both educational and fun. They are a good source of knowledge and pleas
26、ure. For example, I especially like an annual CCTV program called “Touching the Heart of China”. From these heroic, devoted and unselfish people, I purified my soul, and learned to be a better person. From Animal World, I got to know the taxonomies of animals such as amphibians, birds, fish, mammals
27、, reptiles,and invertebrates. I also learned that wolves are highly adaptable animals and can live in a variety of habitats as long as sufficient prey is available. Wolves can benefit natural plant and animal communities in a number of ways. Wolf predation can prevent theWhat is mass media?Listening
28、 and SpeakingThinking and speakingoverpopulation of prey, thereby helping maintain the natural occurrence of some plant and other wildlife species in ecosystems. I even learned to be more environmental-friendly from the public service advertisements, such as to save water and electricity. However, s
29、tudies have shown that television, and media in general, can also have a very negative influence. Some studies indicate it can shorten our attention span, cause obesity, create fear, and increase aggressive and anti-social behavior if exposure is unmonitored and unlimited. But as long as we can cont
30、rol ourselves, its positive influence will always outweigh its negative ones. What is mass media?Topic TwoSocial media users are happier and more engaged1 Social media is a relatively new term compared with mass media. It has recently become part of mainstream culture. The talk you are going to hear
31、 is about how it affects our daily life, personality and behavior. Listen to the talk twice and note down the keywords of the negative and positive aspects of using social media, and relevant information of a study by Pew Research Center.Listening and SpeakingSocial media users are happier and more
32、engagedListening and understandingThe negative aspects:making people less sociable, self-centered, get wrapped up in texting or spilling their innermost secrets online without ever relating to others concerns; hurting users relationships and pushing them away from participating in the worldListening
33、 and SpeakingSocial media users are happier and more engagedListening and understandingThe positive aspects:making people have “higher measures of social well-being”, more trusting, have more close friends, get more support from those friends and more politically engaged; improving communication bet
34、ween people; bringing group members attention to an issue; putting users in touch with old friends; reviving other long-dormant relationships; making people have more close relationships and more likely to be involved in civic and political activities, feel a sense of pride and accomplishment about
35、their contributionsListening and SpeakingSocial media users are happier and more engagedListening and understandingThe study:1) more than 2,200 American adults2) Internet & American Life Project3) communications4) 85 pagesListening and SpeakingSocial media users are happier and more engagedListening
36、 and understanding2 The talk mentions that some people think online social communication is largely self-centered, and that folks are busy with texting or spilling their innermost secrets, without ever relating to others concerns. Work in groups and have a discussion about your understanding of this
37、 topic.Listening and SpeakingThinking and speakingSocial media users are happier and more engaged I agree with the statement. Online users may have no clue as to their relative status, and norms for interaction are not clear, so people tend to become more arrogant, self-centered and less inhibited.
38、This will bring about hostile language and creates a toxic climate which harms the healthy growth of relation on the Internet. Since online communication is not face to face, the users may not know each other. They will thus become more selfish, rude and uncaring. They act as if they are the center
39、of attention, and everybody should feed into their ego, and listen to what they say. They have no true empathy or respect for other people, and they use bitter and sarcastic language. When other people disagree, many will curse or use dirty language. Listening and SpeakingThinking and speakingSocial
40、 media users are happier and more engaged It is true that most people are busy with posting what they have eaten, where they have been to, what they have bought, etc. The social media have been reduced to a platform where narcissistic people show off. What they have posted cannot arouse general publ
41、ics interest. Their main focus is on themselves, instead of the common issues people are concerned with. The social media, as the name indicates, should have a higher aim, that is, it should focus on the social issues, and play a more active role in improving the society, instead of a place for thos
42、e with a big ego to brag about themselves.Listening and SpeakingThinking and speakingSocial media users are happier and more engaged I dont agree with the statement. First we need to define what self-centered means in this context. My understanding is that it means people tend to focus on the things
43、 that are related to themselves. It does not mean “selfish”, “narcissistic”, or “big ego”. If my understanding is right, there is nothing wrong with a bit beingself-centered. Our life is already full of all manner of stress; social media provides us with an opportunity or outlet to share our feeling
44、s or relieve our pressure. Thus for some people, this sort of social media serves as a diary. They record how they feel, what they do, etc. with Microblog or WeChat. It is not the obligation of social media to take others concerns into consideration. If you do care about social events, you can veryL
45、istening and SpeakingThinking and speakingSocial media users are happier and more engagedwell use this platform to show your concern and viewpoints. But if I am not interested, I am not obliged to do this. I have my own right to decide what to say and what to post if I am not hurting others. Ifyou a
46、re not interested in my posts, you can simply ignore them. Why should I be labeled as “self-centered” in a negative sense? The fact that social media can be used for other civic and political activities does not mean it has to be like this. The main function of social media for an individual is to k
47、eep in touch with other people and voice out his or her own feelings or opinions.Listening and SpeakingThinking and speakingSocial media users are happier and more engagedTopic ThreeThe era of “we-media”1 Listen to the talk and choose the best answer to the questions.Listening and SpeakingThe era of
48、 “we-media”Listening and understanding1 Why do some people believe that “we-media” may make traditional news outlets outdated? B. Because “we-media” can almost be accessed everywhere in the world.2 What is the main reason why mainstream media websites still draw hundreds of millions of visitors each
49、 month? A. Because they assign stories to professional journalists.3 What is the strength of traditional media organizations? D. They can create a combined package of news.4 Why are BBC and CNN mentioned? C. To show that some media organizations have already tried to search for more channels.5 Why d
50、o some of the amateur bloggers give up neighborhood blogs? B. Because they are too busy.2 Listen to the talk again and decide whether the statements are true or false. Listening and SpeakingThe era of “we-media”Listening and understanding1 Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter belong to
