– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.

And I'm Pippa.

Whatever you think of social media,

in less than a generation it has changed the internet.

Facebook, Twitter, now known as X,

and, in the early days, MySpace used to be places to post messages to friends

or share photos of your breakfast.

But with the rise of AI,

the fun of connecting with friends changed into something much stranger,

as Tristan and Asma, presenters

of BBC World Service programme The Global Story, found out.

Oh... What is this?

I think it's a man who's supposed to look like Jesus...

It's a man who looks a bit like... ...who also looks like his dog.

He's been AI-ed, right?

Has to be AI-ed.

He's holding his dog and his face looks like his dog,

so he's half Jesus, half dog.

A half-dog, half-Jesus photo is generated by AI and posted online.

It's an example of how the use of AI in social media has evolved so much

that today it's hard to know what's created by humans and what's not.

In this episode,

we'll discuss how social media is changing in the age of AI

and, as usual, we'll learn some useful new words and phrases.

And remember, you'll find all the vocabulary

along with a transcript on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.

But first, I have a question for you, Pippa.

You mentioned MySpace as one of the earliest social media platforms,

but the first electronic message was actually sent much earlier, in 1844,

using a series of dots and dashes tapped out by hand on a telegraph wire.

So, what was this new form of communication called?

Was it: a) semaphore, b) dial-up, or c) Morse code?

I think Morse code.

OK. We'll find out the answer later.

The introduction of AI has turned some users away from social media.

Indeed, a recent report found that social media activity peaked in 2022

and has been going down ever since.

Millennial and digital native Kyle Chayka is a writer specialising

in social media.

He spoke about the problem to Tristan Redmond

for BBC World Service programme The Global Story.

OK. Kyle, was there a moment for you when you felt like social media changed?

Oh man! I mean...

In 2015/2016, I think, in the United States,

when Twitter became the hub of election discourse, it kind of shattered

the illusion that the internet was a space you could go to,

just like, have fun and express yourself

and find cool friends and discuss the latest cultural happenings.

Kyle uses the informal expression, "Oh man!"

an exclamation showing excitement or enthusiasm.

He remembers the internet in 2016, when Twitter was full

of angry political debate about the US elections.

For Kyle, this shattered the illusion that the internet was fun.

If something shatters your illusions, it destroys a false belief you hold,

making you realise an unpleasant truth.

Kyle thinks social media was friendlier before – an online space

to make friends, have fun and discuss the latest cultural happenings.

A cultural happening is an event that embodies the values and interests

of a particular group at a particular time in history.

For example, the hit television show Game of Thrones

was a cultural happening for millennials in the 2010s.

So, what's the future of social media?

Will the amount of AI-generated content continue to grow?

Here's Kyle Chayka again,

sharing his thoughts with BBC World Service's The Global Story:

We see the large social networks

and the tech behemoths leaning into generated content,

and I think users don't actually want that.

I think it's a novelty for now and people will drift away from it.

So instead, I see people gravitating towards smaller online spaces,

connecting more closely with individual voices,

like creator types,

and just posting less in general.

Kyle thinks the tech behemoths,

meaning large and powerful companies, will continue pushing AI.

However, many people want content which is more personal and meaningful.

They think AI is a novelty – something which is new and unusual

and therefore exciting,

but which probably won't last.

Instead, Kyle thinks people will gravitate

towards smaller online communities.

If you gravitate towards something, you are naturally drawn or attracted to it.

Social media has changed fast and is still in motion.

It's come a long way from the first electronic messages

of 1844 which you mentioned in your question, Neil.

So, did I get the correct answer?

I asked what this new form of communication was,

and you said that it was c) Morse code.

And that, Pippa, is the correct answer.

OK. Let's recap the vocabulary we've learned,

starting with the exclamation, "Oh man!"

used to show excitement or enthusiasm.

To shatter an illusion is to destroy someone's misconceptions,

causing them to realise an unpleasant reality.

A cultural happening is an event that embodies the values and interests

of a particular social group at a particular time.

A behemoth is an extremely large and powerful company or organisation.

A novelty is something which is new and unusual and therefore exciting.

And finally,

if you gravitate towards something, you are naturally attracted to it.

Once again, our six minutes are up,

but if you're still using the internet, head over

to our website, bbclearningenglish.com,

where you'll find a worksheet and quiz for this episode.

See you again soon

but, for now, it's goodbye. Goodbye!

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
shatter /ˈʃætər/ B1	verb - to break something into pieces violently or completely; to destroy someone's beliefs or illusions
illusion /ɪˈluʒən/ B1	noun - a false idea or belief; a deceptive appearance or impression
behemoth /bɪˈhiːməθ/ C1	noun - a very large and powerful organization or entity
novelty /ˈnɒvəlti/ B1	noun - the quality of being new, original, or unusual; a new or unusual thing
gravitate /ˈɡrævɪteɪt/ B2	verb - to move or be drawn towards something or someone by a natural preference or attraction
discourse /dɪˈskɔːrs/ B2	noun - communication of thoughts and ideas through speech or writing; a discussion or debate
happenings /ˈhæpənɪŋz/ B1	noun - events, especially those that are significant or notable; cultural or social events
generated /ˈdʒɛnəreɪtɪd/ B1	verb - to produce or create something, especially using a machine or computer
peaked /piːkt/ B1	verb - to reach a maximum or highest point
specialising /ˈspɛʃəlaɪzɪŋ/ B2	verb - to focus on a particular subject or activity to the exclusion of others

Key Grammar Structures

• Whatever you think of social media, in less than a generation it has changed the internet.

  ➔ Present perfect simple (has changed) for an action that started in the past and continues to the present.

  ➔ The verb "has changed" shows a result that is still true now.

• But with the rise of AI, the fun of connecting with friends changed into something much stranger.

  ➔ Simple past (changed) + comparative adjective phrase (much stranger).

  ➔ The verb "changed" is in the past, and "much stranger" uses the comparative form to show a greater degree.

• He’s been AI‑ed, right?

  ➔ Present perfect passive (has been + past participle) with a coined verb "AI‑ed".

  ➔ "has been" + "AI‑ed" forms a passive perfect meaning "has been altered by AI".

• I think it’s a man who’s supposed to look like Jesus...

  ➔ Relative clause with modal perfect infinitive (who’s supposed to + verb).

  ➔ "who’s supposed to" = "who is expected/required to" – it adds an expectation about the man.

• It’s an example of how the use of AI in social media has evolved so much that today it’s hard to know what’s created by humans and what’s not.

  ➔ Result clause with "so ... that" and noun clause "what’s created...".

  ➔ "so much that" shows a strong degree leading to the result "it’s hard to know…"

• Our social media activity peaked in 2022 and has been going down ever since.

  ➔ Past simple (peaked) + present perfect continuous (has been going down).

  ➔ "peaked" marks a single past high point; "has been going down" expresses a continuous decline up to now.

• If something shatters your illusions, it destroys a false belief you hold, making you realise an unpleasant truth.

  ➔ First‑conditional (If + present simple) + present simple result; gerundial clause (making ...) for result.

  ➔ "If" clause sets a condition; "making you realise…" is a participle clause showing the consequence.

• We see the large social networks and the tech behemoths leaning into generated content, and I think users don’t actually want that.

  ➔ Present simple (see, think) + present participle clause (leaning into ...) + modal verb with adverb (don’t actually want).

  ➔ "leaning into" shows ongoing action; "don’t actually want" stresses the truth contrary to expectation.

• People will gravitate towards smaller online spaces, connecting more closely with individual voices.

  ➔ Future simple (will gravitate) + present participle clause (connecting ...) expressing simultaneous action.

  ➔ "will gravitate" predicts a future tendency; "connecting" shows an action that happens at the same time.

• If you gravitate towards something, you are naturally drawn or attracted to it.

  ➔ Zero conditional (If + present simple, present simple) + passive verb (are drawn).

  ➔ "If you gravitate …" states a general truth; "are drawn" is passive, showing the subject receives the attraction.