Blogging mission and reflection on the current situation

Step 1: Watch this informative video. You can also activate the English subtitles. Notice the vocabulary which is used. 

Coronavirus: How did it really start and how do we stop it from happening again?

Step 2: Read these articles and/or other related ones on the web, concerning the recently imposed lockdown and quarantine due to the Covid-19 outbreak. The causes and effects of our current situation could easily be topics of discussion in all the official oral exams in June. 

Suggested reading:

Social Distancing? You Might Be Fighting Climate Change, Too

Social distancing accidentally did the hard part for the climate crisis – now it’s up to us to keep going

How to Keep Mentally Healthy During a Quarantine (with a quiz for learners of English at the end)

How to Deal with Coronavirus (Mis)Information Overload 

Additional Measures to Stop Virus Weigh on Economy

A look at cities under lockdown due to the spread of coronavirus

New Reality of Working From Home

Pros and Cons of Teaching Online

I'm a teacher in Italian quarantine, and e-learning is no substitute for the real thing

Reflect on this quote, too.

Step 3: Now answer at least two of the following questions in the comment section below or in your own post on this blog. Click on the image to read the questions.

Typo in question number 5: Have your eating habits...?

Articles about the dubious uses of online private data

HOW CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA SPARKED THE GREAT PRIVACY AWAKENING
https://www.wired.com/story/cambridge-analytica-facebook-privacy-awakening/


NETFLIX'S THE GREAT HACK BRINGS OUR DATA NIGHTMARE TO LIFE
https://www.wired.com/story/the-great-hack-documentary/amp.


Is Netflix’s The Great Hack the most important documentary of our time?
https://www.stylist.co.uk/long-reads/netflix-the-great-hack-facebook-cambridge-analytica-personal-data-hacking-scandal-documentary/281783

The conclusion of the final article on our list:

CA may have exposed voters to a carpet bomb of biased ads and news reports, but it didn’t force them to check those ballot boxes. They weren’t bullied, or threatened, or coerced into making the choices they did. Their agency was not wrested from them.

It has always been up to us to read beyond the headlines. To do more than skim through the comments on Facebook. To do our own research, to ask questions, to challenge our opinions. To, above all else, form a more well-rounded view of the world – one which allows us to see past the fakery and the falsities when they are forced under our noses by politicians, shady institutions and social media trolls.

We are much more inclined to believe statistics that support our point of view – something that scientists call the confirmation bias – and we’re very energetic in demolishing those that do not. As former NY Times editor Trish Hall previously explained to Stylist: “We are much more inclined to believe statistics that support our point of view – something that scientists call the confirmation bias – and we’re very energetic in demolishing those that do not.

“If we are going to become more cohesive and more able to move the world forward,” she continued, “then we need to understand other points of view. We can do that [by seeking] out media with which we do not agree.”

It is up to us to break the bubble. Because – while we can slap legislations on Cambridge Analytica, and while Facebook may have since updated its privacy laws – we will never be able to get at the whole truth if we allow ourselves to exist within echo boxes of our own making. People will always share their opinions, and we will always be exposed to fake news. And, unless we make smarter, savvier choices about the media we consume, we will always be susceptible to manipulation.

Unless we recognise this enormous responsibility, democracy will die – not with a bang, but with a whimper. And that, friends, is The Great Hack’s most important takeaway.

Social media

In my opinion soial media have improved our lives because we become increasingly more public (sociable?) because as we share information on a variety of networks. Moreover, with social media you make new friends and share your interests, but not all of them are real friends. Some profiles on the internet could be fake. 


Any other thoughts on the use of social media?  How will they affect human relationships in the future? Will our social status depend on our public image on social networking websites? We discussed some deeper thoughts on the Black Mirror episode which you xcould have analysed here.

TV and the Internet: Two inventions of the 20th century with dramatic impact

The 20th century, when technology overwhelmingly evolved, spawned a vast amount of new inventions, many of which have had a dramatic impact on contemporary life. Topping the list undoubtedly are television and the Internet, the advent of which triggered both positive and negative effects.

There are many significant reasons why television is a predominant invention of the 20th century. First of all, although TV constitutes a convenient means of entertainment and education, since there is a wide variety of programs and documentaries which provide us with the opportunity to have a window on the world, it is an undisputed fact that it has a handful of repercussions. More specifically, cultural globalization, which is the adoption of the same values, ideas and stereotypes by people around the world and consumerism, which refers to the compulsive habit of buying, are promoted, on the grounds that TV preaches a different gospel: seeing is believing. Subsequently, people's perception of the optimal life has been distorted. Lastly, the lure of televised image has persuaded people that words count for less. Of course, television does not just consist of pictures, but the commentary that accompanies them is so concise that t barely scratches the surface of striking issues, or at any rate helps anyone understand them. 

The other looming invention of the prior century is the Internet, which has had an enormous impact n modern life. Firstly, it is crucial we comprehend hat the Internet has an educational purpose, since we are offered with the chance to have access to a tremendous amount of information and alternative forms of teaching, for instance distant learning. Apart from that, entertainment is more convenient than ever before, because there are online social platforms, such as Facebook and Youtube, with the assistance of which everyone can spend their free time. In fact, the former contributes to the worldwide communication. However, the Net conceals many dangers. More specifically, cyber bullying (ie when unscrupulous people opt to trivialize other people's lives by unnerving them) and identity theft (ie when individuals pretend to be anyone they wish by creating a "cloned" online account) are encouraged. A case in point is that the two aforementioned phenomena may result in the psychological deviance of the victim, who may even want to commit suicide. 

Taking all this into consideration, there is no doubt in mind that despite the fact that neither television,  nor the Internet have had downright positive effects on our lives, they constitute the two inventions of the 20th century of which we can reap the benefits. Only if we utilize them wisely and in moderation, will we be able to eliminate their repercussions.