Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and do the exercises.
Preparation
Today's grandparents are joining their grandchildren on social media, but the different generations' online habits couldn't be more different. In the UK the over-55s are joining Facebook in increasing numbers, meaning that they will soon be the site's second biggest user group, with 3.5 million users aged 55–64 and 2.9 million over-65s.
Sheila, aged 59, says, 'I joined to see what my grandchildren are doing, as my daughter posts videos and photos of them. It's a much better way to see what they're doing than waiting for letters and photos in the post. That's how we did it when I was a child, but I think I'm lucky I get to see so much more of their lives than my grandparents did.'
Ironically, Sheila's grandchildren are less likely to use Facebook themselves. Children under 17 in the UK are leaving the site – only 2.2 million users are under 17 – but they're not going far from their smartphones. Chloe, aged 15, even sleeps with her phone. 'It's my alarm clock so I have to,' she says. 'I look at it before I go to sleep and as soon as I wake up.'
Unlike her grandmother's generation, Chloe's age group is spending so much time on their phones at home that they are missing out on spending time with their friends in real life. Sheila, on the other hand, has made contact with old friends from school she hasn't heard from in forty years. 'We use Facebook to arrange to meet all over the country,' she says. 'It's changed my social life completely.'
Teenagers might have their parents to thank for their smartphone and social media addiction as their parents were the early adopters of the smartphone. Peter, 38 and father of two teenagers, reports that he used to be on his phone or laptop constantly. 'I was always connected and I felt like I was always working,' he says. 'How could I tell my kids to get off their phones if I was always in front of a screen myself?' So, in the evenings and at weekends, he takes his SIM card out of his smartphone and puts it into an old-style mobile phone that can only make calls and send text messages. 'I'm not completely cut off from the world in case of emergencies, but the important thing is I'm setting a better example to my kids and spending more quality time with them.'
Is it only a matter of time until the generation above and below Peter catches up with the new trend for a less digital life?
I would definitely say my friends except my sister. She's younger than I so she's even more connected and crazy about spending time on Instagram! By the way, she can't spend one day without checking all the one hour her messages! But most of my family hasn't got an huge addiction on social media. My parents, for example, absolutely hate the fact that we're turning ourself into narcissic person to just paying attention to our own apperance, all the time. My friends are obvioulsy very connected and are spending like 6h a day on phones and laptop. We can explain that into a relevant idea. My friends are aged from 18 to 21 so they're partly all involved in a modern way of living. The society indirectly has top-down rules that we need to deal with if we don't want to be left out or perceive like a nerdy guy!
In our family my little brother uses smartphone more than other our family members. Because He has enough time to spend time with his phone.
If I stop on my friends. I can't certainly say who spends more time than other. It is because I rarely gather with my friends. But It was one case which I paid attention that one of my friend uses more their phone while eating meal.
Who uses the phone more among your family or friends?
Honestly, my family uses the phone most of the time. In fact my father is a social media addict, he uses social media, the apps he uses most often are facebook and whatsapp, he told me that he uses them because they are very interesting and he finds new friends. in addition, he also mentioned that unlike other people who are older, he uses facebook perfectly.
on the other hand, i also use my phone to communicate with my work or friends, to meet someone, or to practice a new language.
i think i use smartphone the most in my family. i on the internet at least 6h each day, with social network, read the newspapers, watch video on tiktok, youtube. i know that no good fo me and for another members in my family but i can't stop, because i feel not safe if i so far my phone. peharps, i need to learn to way use phone more balance, it will better fo me.
person who is most used smarphone around me is me . but in the family almost everybody wake up and start to use their phone nearly the whole day espacially in the summer nobody goes to school or business so they dont have any other activity to do . they are surfing internet and go by their value time at social media . althrough everybody know that it is not the good way to live, they are still doing this .
Who uses their phone the most among your family or friends?
In my family, I use my phone mostly because I am a software developer, I am always on the laptop and my phone for learning and working. On the other hand, my family members mostly use phones including my father, mother, brother, sister, wife, and even my two daughters. As discussed in the lesson, mobile phone use is increasing for different ages. Some are using it for social media, and children are using it for YouTube.
My daughter uses it the most, but i think we all addicted to our smartphones. It influences our mental health, confidence, and relationships... My parents aged 67 were happy to touch with their old friends by Facebook. But technology can also be a challenge for them, so sometimes it irritates them when they don't know what link to click, how to adjust their screen, etc
I think all members of my family and friends use phones, especially the youth generations. Among us only dad doesn't use smartphone and makes only calls from phone. But I think it's because of his age, old generations struggling to use new techologies and social media. So, the young generation is likely to be more dependet on phones.
The time changes always, so nowadays, old generation gets closer to the youth, especially with the question of the usage the social nets.
I try to use smartphone only when I really need it. Actually, I'm not attracted to so much now. I think I've already grew up from age when you like to play with it and always spend time joining on social media, messengers and so on feeling good of oportunity to do it. Now I use smartphone for what it was made for - helping for everyday life. I can't say the same about my girlfriend) She's always online: insta, telegram. She spend more time on her phone than in real life. Social media can make great work. My mother found my uncle through this stuff, for example. He has been lost for thirty years.