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Hello, this is 6 Minute English
from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.
And I'm Pippa.
Whatever you think of social media,
in less than a generation
it has changed the internet.
Facebook, Twitter, now known as X,
and, in the early days, MySpace used to
be places to post messages to friends
or share photos of your breakfast.
But with the rise of AI,
the fun of connecting with friends
changed into something much stranger,
as Tristan and Asma,
presenters
of BBC World Service programme
The Global Story, found out.
Oh... What is this?
I think it's a man
who's supposed to look like Jesus...
It's a man who looks a bit like...
...who also looks like his dog.
He's been AI-ed, right?
Has to be AI-ed.
He's holding his dog
and his face looks like his dog,
so he's half Jesus, half dog.
A half-dog, half-Jesus photo
is generated by AI and posted online.
It's an example of how the use of AI
in social media has evolved so much
that today it's hard to know what's
created by humans and what's not.
In this episode,
we'll discuss how social media
is changing in the age of AI
and, as usual, we'll learn
some useful new words and phrases.
And remember,
you'll find all the vocabulary
along with a transcript on
our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
But first,
I have a question for you, Pippa.
You mentioned MySpace as one of
the earliest social media platforms,
but the first electronic message was
actually sent much earlier, in 1844,
using a series of dots and dashes
tapped out by hand on a telegraph wire.
So, what was this new form
of communication called?
Was it: a) semaphore, b) dial-up,
or c) Morse code?
I think Morse code.
OK. We'll find out the answer later.
The introduction of AI has turned
some users away from social media.
Indeed, a recent report found that
social media activity peaked in 2022
and has been going down ever since.
Millennial and digital native
Kyle Chayka is a writer specialising
in social media.
He spoke about the problem
to Tristan Redmond
for BBC World Service programme
The Global Story.
OK. Kyle, was there a moment for you
when you felt like social media changed?
Oh man! I mean...
In 2015/2016,
I think, in the United States,
when Twitter became the hub of
election discourse, it kind of shattered
the illusion that the internet was
a space you could go to,
just like,
have fun and express yourself
and find cool friends and discuss
the latest cultural happenings.
Kyle uses the
informal expression, "Oh man!"
an exclamation showing excitement
or enthusiasm.
He remembers the internet in 2016,
when Twitter was full
of angry political debate
about the US elections.
For Kyle, this shattered the illusion
that the internet was fun.
If something shatters your illusions,
it destroys a false belief you hold,
making you realise
an unpleasant truth.
Kyle thinks social media was
friendlier before – an online space
to make friends, have fun and discuss
the latest cultural happenings.
A cultural happening is an event that
embodies the values and interests
of a particular group
at a particular time in history.
For example, the hit
television show Game of Thrones
was a cultural happening
for millennials in the 2010s.
So, what's the future
of social media?
Will the amount of AI-generated
content continue to grow?
Here's Kyle Chayka again,
sharing his thoughts with
BBC World Service's The Global Story:
We see the large social networks
and the tech behemoths leaning
into generated content,
and I think
users don't actually want that.
I think it's a novelty for now
and people will drift away from it.
So instead, I see people gravitating
towards smaller online spaces,
connecting more closely
with individual voices,
like creator types,
and just posting less in general.
Kyle thinks the tech behemoths,
meaning large and powerful companies,
will continue pushing AI.
However, many people want content
which is more personal and meaningful.
They think AI is a novelty –
something which is new and unusual
and therefore exciting,
but which probably won't last.
Instead, Kyle thinks
people will gravitate
towards smaller online communities.
If you gravitate towards something, you
are naturally drawn or attracted to it.
Social media has changed fast
and is still in motion.
It's come a long way
from the first electronic messages
of 1844 which you mentioned
in your question, Neil.
So, did I get the correct answer?
I asked what this new form
of communication was,
and you said that it was
c) Morse code.
And that, Pippa,
is the correct answer.
OK. Let's recap the vocabulary
we've learned,
starting with
the exclamation, "Oh man!"
used to show excitement
or enthusiasm.
To shatter an illusion is
to destroy someone's misconceptions,
causing them to realise
an unpleasant reality.
A cultural happening is an event that
embodies the values and interests
of a particular social group
at a particular time.
A behemoth is an extremely large
and powerful company or organisation.
A novelty is something which is new
and unusual and therefore exciting.
And finally,
if you gravitate towards something,
you are naturally attracted to it.
Once again, our six minutes are up,
but if you're still using
the internet, head over
to our website,
bbclearningenglish.com,
where you'll find a worksheet
and quiz for this episode.
See you again soon
but, for now, it's goodbye.
Goodbye!
Vocabulary
Word 1 of 14platforms
word
1:30
"websites or apps where people share content and connect."
More Listening Practice
About this lesson
Explore whether social media is losing its relevance and what might come next in this 6 Minute English episode.