This lesson is taught out loud.
A teacher will read it to you, and the page will keep up. You will be asked things — take your time answering. Headphones are better, but everything is written on screen too.
Concept 1 · Well-being
1.1 Social Media and Self-Image
Unit 1 · Living Well in a Complex World · Section A: Social Reflection
What it means to see yourself through social media
In today’s fast-changing world, social media plays a major role in shaping how teenagers think, feel, and see themselves.
While it can inspire healthy habits and positive change, it can also create unrealistic expectations and pressure.
Inquiry Question
How does daily screen time on image-based apps directly affect a teenager’s self-esteem?
Biased language is words that show a strong opinion and are not fair or neutral.
🎧 Listening · Mass Media
The Impossible Standard: How Social Media is Reshaping the Way Teenagers See Themselves
This broadcast was written for this course to match the questions the textbook asks about it. The textbook’s own note describes its listening text as an original script authored for teaching, with its figures synthesized rather than quoted from a single study — so treat the statistics as illustrative, and notice that the lesson itself will ask you whether you should believe them.
Now broadcasting · The Impossible Standard
The words appear as they are spoken, so you can listen, read, or both.
Ten years ago, social media was mostly words — status updates, short messages. Today it is almost entirely images and video, sorted by an algorithm that decides what you see.
Researchers describe today’s platforms as highly curated stages, where individuals perform constructed versions of their lives. The gap between an ordinary person and a celebrity is narrower than it has ever been.
Psychologists call it the highlight-reel effect: the tendency to post only your best moments. The danger is that viewers treat the highlight reel as a complete and accurate picture of reality.
In surveys of adolescents, thirty-eight per cent of teenagers who spend more than three hours a day on image-based platforms report symptoms of low self-esteem — about twice as likely as those under one hour.
What protects a young person? Media literacy — the ability to ask who made this, why, and what has been left out. In the digital age, media literacy is an essential skill for protecting mental health.
A. Listen, then answer.
- Identify — According to the recording, how have social media platforms changed over the past decade?
- Identify — What percentage of teenagers who spend more than three hours a day on image-based social media platforms report symptoms of low self-esteem?
- Identify — What term do psychologists use to describe the selective posting of perfect moments?
B. Listen again. Complete the statements.
- Social media platforms have become highly ________ stages where individuals perform constructed versions of their lives.
- The gap between ordinary people and celebrities is ________ on social media compared to traditional media.
- Viewers instinctively treat the “highlight reel” as a ________ and accurate picture of reality.
- The recording emphasizes that ________ is an essential skill for protecting mental health in the digital age.
The script, now you have listened
Ten years ago, social media was mostly words. Status updates. Short messages. Today it is almost entirely images and video, sorted by an algorithm that decides what you see.
Researchers describe today’s platforms as highly curated stages, where individuals perform constructed versions of their lives. And on those stages, the gap between an ordinary person and a celebrity is narrower than it has ever been.
Psychologists have a name for what people post there. They call it the highlight-reel effect. The danger is that viewers instinctively treat the highlight reel as a complete and accurate picture of reality.
In surveys of adolescents, thirty-eight per cent of teenagers who spend more than three hours a day on image-based platforms report symptoms of low self-esteem — roughly twice as likely as those who spend under one hour.
What protects a young person from them? Media literacy — the ability to ask who made this, why, and what has been left out.
Language in Context · Media Analysis
| Original (Biased) | Revised (Neutral + Hedging) |
|---|---|
| Everyone knows exercise is essential. | Many studies suggest that regular exercise plays an important role in maintaining health. |
| Social media makes all teenagers aggressive. | Some research implies that certain types of social media content could influence aggressive behavior. |
| Social media destroys teenagers’ confidence. | Research indicates that excessive social media use may negatively affect some teenagers’ self-esteem. |
| All teenagers believe everything they read online. | Some teenagers might accept online information without critical evaluation. |
| Social media is completely dangerous and should be banned for teenagers. | Social media presents certain risks that may warrant guidelines for teenagers. |
Interactive Exercise · Rewrite the Bias
Rewrite these biased sentences using neutral and hedging language.
- “Social media completely controls the way young people think.”
- “Teenagers waste all their time on social media.”
- “Social media is the worst thing that ever happened to young people.”
Mass Media · Social Media Post for Analysis
“I woke up at 5 am, went on a 10-km run, prepared an amazing green smoothie, and still had time for a full skincare routine. If you’re not living like this, you may feel less successful than others. Every successful person I know starts the day with intense exercise and a perfectly balanced diet. There are NO excuses. Health is a choice, always.”
Media Analysis · Key Concepts
- highlight-reel effect
- the tendency to post only the best moments online, creating a false image of reality
- social comparison
- evaluating yourself by comparing yourself to others
- evaluative adjective
- an adjective that expresses a judgment or opinion (e.g. amazing, toxic, unrealistic)
Comprehension Check
- Analyze — Why are teenagers more affected by social media than others?
- Analyze — Why is social comparison considered dangerous?
- Evaluate — Do you think social media has a positive or negative effect on teenagers? Support your answer with reasons and evidence from the text.
- Explain — What is the “highlight-reel effect”? Explain in your own words using evidence from the article.
Writing in Action · Persuasive techniques and their effects
| Rhetorical questions | Intensifiers | Hedging words | Absolute words |
|---|---|---|---|
| do not need an answer; used to make the reader think | make ideas stronger | show uncertainty or caution | state facts with full confidence |
| Example: “Do I really need this?” | very – extremely – significantly | may – might – could | always – every – never – no excuses |
🗣 Speaking · discuss in groups
- Analyze — How does the writer’s purpose affect the language choices they make?
- Analyze — Can the same information be presented differently depending on the audience? Give an example.
- Evaluate — To what extent does social media create unrealistic expectations about lifestyle and identity? Justify your position with reasons and examples from your own observations.
Self-Reflection
- · What new vocabulary did you learn in this section?
- · Which skill (identifying bias, analyzing language, evaluating arguments) do you feel most confident in?
- · Which skill do you need more practice with?
- · How can you apply what you’ve learned about media literacy to your daily life?
- · What questions do you still have about social media and self-image?
- · How would you know you have improved your media literacy skills?
Keep reading — this lesson marks itself done automatically.