Unit 08
Social media anxiety
新知思想/自我提升
New Knowledge/Self-Development
BRAIN STORM
Share your ideas with your teacher and try to make sentences.
What social media do you use? Have you felt being anxious when you are using it?
VOCABULARY
Repeat these sentences after your teacher.
1. vicious cycle (n.) 惡性循環
Eat, sleep, phone—this is a vicious life cycle.
吃飯，睡覺，打電話—這是一個惡性的生命週期。
2. relative deprivation (phr.) 相對剝奪感
HRelative deprivation creates feelings of insecurity.
相對剝奪會帶來不安全感。
3. validation (n.) 確認，證實
Females may need validation from their partners.
女性可能需要其伴侶的確認。
4. capitalizing (v.) 利用…（賺錢）；變現
Gadget makers are capitalizing from your pictures.
小工具製造商正從你的照片資本。
5. doom scrolling (phr.) 不停刷負面新聞
Once you start doom scrolling, it’ll never end.
一旦開始不停刷負面新聞，它將永遠不會結束。
6. biological imperative (phr.) 生理的必然性（生存的必要本能或行為）
Can you site some biological imperatives?
您能找到一些生物學上的必要條件嗎？
7. polarized (adj.) 兩極化的
Facebook posts are polarized that they create anxiety.
Facebook帖子兩極分化，他們製造焦慮。
Dialogue
Read the dialogue aloud with your teacher.
Man, being on social media makes me so anxious! But I can’t stop using it.
天哪，社交媒體讓我太焦慮了！但我就是忍不住一直用。
I know. It’s a vicious cycle! You’re afraid of missing out, so you use it. But you feel like you’re missing out even more when you’re on it.
我知道。這是個惡性循環！你害怕錯過很多事情，所以就會用社交媒體。但用的時候你會覺得錯過了更多！
Yeah, looking at everyone’s photos makes me feel like they have something I don’t. And, that relative deprivation creates insecurity and just drives me to post more.
是啊，看著大家的照片，我會覺得他們擁有許多我沒有的東西。而且這種相對剝奪感會產生不安全感，促使我去發布更多的內容。
Yup, because we’re all seeking validation. It’s addicting! They’re capitalizing on our anxiety.
沒錯，因為我們都在尋求別人的認可。這會上癮的！社交媒體就是利用我們的焦慮賺錢的。
It’s news postings too. I feel emotionally overwhelmed with all the negative posts, but I can’t stop doom scrolling.
新聞消息也是這樣。那些負面新聞讓我覺得情緒崩潰，但我就是控制不了自己一直刷下去。
Apparently, that’s a biological imperative. We pay more attention to threats and negatives and are driven to read because we want some sense of control.
很明顯，這有生理上的必然性。危險和消極事物會更受到我們的關注，會驅使我們去閱讀，因為我們想擁有些掌控感。
I guess, but more often than not, posts are so polarized and dramatic that they exacerbate the anxiety.
也許吧。但大部分情況下，這些消息都很偏激和誇張，就加劇了我們的焦慮感。
True, and everyone’s in their echo chambers, so they’re feeding each other’s fears.
確實，大家處在回音室效應中，意見相近的聲音不斷重複，助長了彼此的恐懼。
Exactly. I just need to unplug and spend more time making real-world connections.
沒錯。我得從網絡中脫離出來，多花些時間建立現實世界中的聯繫了。
Yeah, everyone needs a balance. So it’s important to moderate your use.
是啊，每個人都需要平衡，所以適度使用社交媒體是很重要的。
Grammar
More often than not
The phrase “more often than not” is a more formal way to say express “most of the time.” The idea is that a particular action or situation happens more often than it doesn’t happen. For example, “More often than not, I forget my phone at home.“
Likewise, in today’s dialogue, the speaker said, “More often than not posts are so polarized and dramatic that they exacerbate the anxiety.” Here she is simply remarking on how news postings often create more anxiety.
1.Although his ideas may seem risky, his ventures succeed more often than not.
2.Many people try to quit social media. However, more often than not they fail and return to it.
3.More often than not our desire for validation gets the better of us, and we find ourselves posting more and more in the hopes of getting more likes.
4.________________________________________________________________________.
DISCUSSION
Make a conversation with your teacher.
1.What do you think are the disadvantages of using too much social media?
