English Unlimited HAK/HUM 3, Schulbuch mit Audio-CD und CD-ROM (mit Handelskorrespondenz)

20 Good communication? 02 LANGUAGE SKILLS EXPLORE LOOK AGAIN EXTRAS Online friendships Answer the questions in groups. 1 How much time do you spend online ? Which sites do you use most? 2 Do you have a blog or webpage ? Do you ever read other people’s pages? 3 Do you ever post a comment after you’ve watched a video or read a blog online? 4 How often do you look for information online? What search engine do you use ? 5 Are you on a social networking site ? Do you enjoy socialising online ? Read the title of the article. What do people use social networking sites for? Can you think of any reasons why these sites could be bad for friendships? Read the article. Does it mention any of your ideas? VOCABULARY 10 Using the internet a READING 11 b Many people who were born in 1990 or later have only known a world with the internet, so they could grow up with an unrealistic view of the world and themselves, the annual meeting of the Royal College of Psychiatrists heard. Dr Himanshu Tyagi, a psychiatrist, said social networking sites have encouraged the idea that friendships and relationships can be formed and ended quickly and easily. He said, “It’s a world where everything moves fast and changes all the time, where relationships are ended at the click of a mouse. Online, you can delete your prole and change who you are in a few seconds.” He said that because everything happens so quickly on social networking sites, people may start to nd the real world boring. He said teenagers who socialise online are more likely to make quick decisions without thinking about the consequences of their actions. ey might not pay enough attention to their ‘real world’ selves, and might nd it dicult to form relationships in the real world because they won’t learn about body language, tone of voice and facial expressions online. He said that if you can’t see someone’s face or body language or hear the changes in their voice, this will inuence your understanding of what’s going on. He added that friendship means something very dierent to the ‘internet generation’. But there are also benets. When you’re online, you oen don’t know the wealth, race or gender of the person you’re communicating with. Dr Tyagi said, “No one is an outsider on the net. It may not be the best way to make lasting friendships, but it does make everyone equal.” A generation that is growing up using social networking websites, such as Facebook and MySpace, is less likely to form lasting relationships and is more likely to act without thinking, an expert has warned. Could social networking sites mean the end of lasting friendships? Read the article again. In Dr Tyagi’s opinion, why might young people: 12 Talk together about the questions. 1 Do you agree with Dr Tyagi? Why? Why not? 2 How did you meet your closest friends? 3 What’s the first thing you notice about people? Is it different meeting people online? 4 Read the last paragraph again. What other benefits are there of using the internet to socialise? SPEAKING 13 1 have an unrealistic view of the world? 2 feel that relationships can be started and ended quickly and easily? 3 find the real world boring? 4 find it more difficult to form relationships in the real world? 5 be equal on the internet? Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv