The Ups and Down of Social Media
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Social networking apps have changed the way people communicate, but like most things in life they have their ups and their downs. |
THE VALUE OF A DROP
Would you be able to read Arabic without any drops (or dots)? Probably not. But that's what a social media campaign asked people to try and do. The message was simple. "Don’t underestimate the value of a drop" was written in Arabic without any drops, making it hard to understand.
This message was posted on billboards in Amman and across social media in Jordan. Companies across Jordan removed the drops (or dots) from their names and slogans as well. After three days, the message was fully revealed.
It turned out this message was part of a large water conservation campaign. It went viral and taught people practical ways of conserving water in Jordan. Studies showed that a quarter of people who saw this message checked their water stores.
FOMO – A MODERN ANXIETY
How often do you check your phone every day? 20, 50, 80 times? Surveys have shown that the average person checks their phone about 70 times a day. And you might not believe it but some people spend up to nine hours a day using social media or online video or music.
We all want to post comments, follow celebrities and know what’s going on with our friends. Social media can make our lives full and exciting. However, research also shows a worrying trend. Some people can’t stop checking their social media sites. They do it all the time – sometimes hundreds of times a day. Lots of us know that we look at our phones too often and try to control it. But when you really can’t stop checking, it’s a problem. It distracts us from other things and it can make us stressed. Scientists have given this problem a name. It’s called FOMO. This stands for Fear Of Missing Out! Three children in every classroom today may have this problem.
People who have FOMO feel they need to start and finish their day with social media updates. They have a real fear that they will miss something new, interesting or important. Perhaps a friend is doing something fun, a celebrity has talked about his new film or there’s a funny video about a new food craze trending?
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Word |
Meaning |
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FOMO |
Fear of Missing Out – Feeling anxious about missing something fun or important on social media. |
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Sites
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Websites or platforms on the internet, like Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
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To follow (online)
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Subscribing to someone’s account or page to see their posts or updates.
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To go viral
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When something becomes very popular quickly online, like a video or meme.
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To trend (online)
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When something becomes very popular or widely discussed on social media.
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Updates
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New posts or information shared on social media.
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