Reading. B1. SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

As social networking sites are becoming more and more popular, researchers are starting to worry that we may be turning into addicted users. This may actually be true. Take a quick look around you and you’ll see for yourself: people are constantly checking their smartphones to keep up with their friends’ recent posts on social networking sites. They are also commenting on and sharing that information with other friends.

Since social networking sites appeared in the late 1990s, they have become a part of everyday life. Initially, people used them to stay in touch with family and friends through instant messaging applications. They also created professional profiles online so they could search for jobs. In addition, they started making new friends who had similar interests or found old classmates through a name search.

Nowadays, however, although all of the above still apply, social networking sites have also become a place for posting personal details the public has no interest in. According to psychologists, users obsessively post bits of their life online because this gives them the illusion of having an audience. Does the post ‘Kathy is drinking tea with her sister Jo at Maxwell shopping centre’ sound familiar? In this scenario, there would even be a photo of Kathy and her sister drinking tea at that shopping centre. Then, chances are, those girls would constantly check how many people ‘liked’ their photo.

Researchers have repeatedly stressed the dangers of making our private life available online. There have been many cases of kidnappers who posed as someone younger to make friends with a child, using a false name and photo, for example. There is no way of knowing who is behind an online profile. This is why, experts warn, we should never accept a friend request from people we don’t know and, of course, never agree to meet them. The same goes for sharing personal information such as addresses and telephone numbers online. At the end of the day, we should be asking ourselves before posting anything is: does the world really care or need to know where I am or what I’m doing right now?

What is one reason researchers are worried about social networking sites?
A) They cost too much money
B) People are addicted to them
C) They are boring
D) People don’t use them anymore

SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

As social networking sites are becoming more and more popular, researchers are starting to worry that we may be turning into addicted users. This may actually be true. Take a quick look around you and you’ll see for yourself: people are constantly checking their smartphones to keep up with their friends’ recent posts on social networking sites. They are also commenting on and sharing that information with other friends.

Since social networking sites appeared in the late 1990s, they have become a part of everyday life. Initially, people used them to stay in touch with family and friends through instant messaging applications. They also created professional profiles online so they could search for jobs. In addition, they started making new friends who had similar interests or found old classmates through a name search.

Nowadays, however, although all of the above still apply, social networking sites have also become a place for posting personal details the public has no interest in. According to psychologists, users obsessively post bits of their life online because this gives them the illusion of having an audience. Does the post ‘Kathy is drinking tea with her sister Jo at Maxwell shopping centre’ sound familiar? In this scenario, there would even be a photo of Kathy and her sister drinking tea at that shopping centre. Then, chances are, those girls would constantly check how many people ‘liked’ their photo.

Researchers have repeatedly stressed the dangers of making our private life available online. There have been many cases of kidnappers who posed as someone younger to make friends with a child, using a false name and photo, for example. There is no way of knowing who is behind an online profile. This is why, experts warn, we should never accept a friend request from people we don’t know and, of course, never agree to meet them. The same goes for sharing personal information such as addresses and telephone numbers online. At the end of the day, we should be asking ourselves before posting anything is: does the world really care or need to know where I am or what I’m doing right now?

How did people use social networking sites in the beginning?
A) To watch videos
B) To buy clothes
C) To talk with family and friends
D) To play games

SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

As social networking sites are becoming more and more popular, researchers are starting to worry that we may be turning into addicted users. This may actually be true. Take a quick look around you and you’ll see for yourself: people are constantly checking their smartphones to keep up with their friends’ recent posts on social networking sites. They are also commenting on and sharing that information with other friends.

Since social networking sites appeared in the late 1990s, they have become a part of everyday life. Initially, people used them to stay in touch with family and friends through instant messaging applications. They also created professional profiles online so they could search for jobs. In addition, they started making new friends who had similar interests or found old classmates through a name search.

Nowadays, however, although all of the above still apply, social networking sites have also become a place for posting personal details the public has no interest in. According to psychologists, users obsessively post bits of their life online because this gives them the illusion of having an audience. Does the post ‘Kathy is drinking tea with her sister Jo at Maxwell shopping centre’ sound familiar? In this scenario, there would even be a photo of Kathy and her sister drinking tea at that shopping centre. Then, chances are, those girls would constantly check how many people ‘liked’ their photo.

Researchers have repeatedly stressed the dangers of making our private life available online. There have been many cases of kidnappers who posed as someone younger to make friends with a child, using a false name and photo, for example. There is no way of knowing who is behind an online profile. This is why, experts warn, we should never accept a friend request from people we don’t know and, of course, never agree to meet them. The same goes for sharing personal information such as addresses and telephone numbers online. At the end of the day, we should be asking ourselves before posting anything is: does the world really care or need to know where I am or what I’m doing right now?

Why do many people post about their lives online?
A) To make money
B) To feel famous
C) To get more followers
D) To feel like others are watching