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Social Hermits
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- Parent Category: Lower-Intermediate News Lessons
- Category: Science and Technology
- Written by Chris Cotter
Do social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter make people more social? Or do these sites make people become loners? Of course, social networking sites let people stay in contact, which is especially helpful in the busy world of today.
Social networking offers positives. For example, the various sites and apps help people keep in contact with "proximity friends." These are people who are or were physically close but not personally close, such as former classmates and colleagues, parents of the children your kids play with in the neighborhood, and friends of friends. We might send these people holiday or birthday cards, or call with congratulations of a wedding or a newborn.
However, face-to-face contact is quite rare. There is the feeling of contact, but it may be superficial and achieved through emails and instant messages. The contact might not be deep and rich, even if many people know more small details about one another.
People "talk" with one another more frequently, but they meet in person less frequently. So let's return to the original question: Are people becoming social hermits?
Preview some of the lesson material:
Warm Up: Do you agree or disagree? Why?
- My schedule is busier than ever these days.
- I couldn't live without email.
- I couldn't live without social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
- Friendships are less important these days.
- Friendships are not very deep these days.
Fragments: Remember how the fragments were used, and complete the sentence from today's article.
- Do social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter make...
- For example, the various sites and apps help people...
- The contact might not be deep and rich, even if...
- So let's return to the original question...
post-Comprehension: Talk about the following questions in pairs/groups. Remember to support your answers!
- Have you (or do you) use social networking sites? If yes, talk about the pluses.
- Have you (or do you) use social networking sites? If yes, talk about the minuses.
- Are people better or worse communicators because of social network sites?
- What is a social hermit? What images or ideas does this phrase raise?
- How might social networking sites be used for business or education?
Google Search: Type "social networking" into Google. Look at the websites, and/or read additional articles on this topic. Discuss or write an essay about your findings.
