BOX SET: 6 Minute English - 'The online world' English mega-class! 30 minutes of new vocab!

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

And I'm Neil.

Have you heard the expression doomscrolling, Neil?

It's when people spend a lot of time reading or scrolling a mobile phone or computer screen to  

read negative news stories—stories full of doom.I hate to admit it, but I do sometimes doomscroll. 

Well, don't feel too bad, Neil, because you're not alone. Research from the University of  

California found that people all over the world doomscroll, regardless of culture. What's more,  

there may even be evolutionary reasons why we're attracted to bad news. In this program,  

we'll be investigating why we feel compelled to look at and even seek out bad news. And, as usual,  

we'll be learning some new vocabulary as well.

But before that, I have a question for you,  

Neil. Doomscrolling is a very modern idea, which is only possible with the 24/7 non-stop cycle of  

news reporting. So, according to international news agency Reuters, what has been the top  

global news story of 2023 so far? Is it: a) The war in Ukraine b) Increasing prices and  

inflation c) Prince Harry's autobiography?

I think the answer is an issue that's  affecting everyone: inflation.

Okay, Neil, I'll reveal the  

answer at the end of the program. Now, it might be true that the non-stop  

news cycle makes doomscrolling possible, but that doesn't explain why we do it. Anthropologist Ella  

Al-Shamahi thinks the answer may lie in human evolution. Here, she outlines the problem for  

BBC Radio 4 program Why Do We Do That?.

We go searching out for bad news,  

looking for things that will make us  feel 'ick' inside. And so many of us  

do it. Is it a result of 24/7 doom on tap on our phones, or is it some kind of compulsion  

that comes from somewhere way, way back?

Reading bad news stories makes us feel 'ick',  

an informal American phrase which means 'feel sick, often because of something disgusting or  

disturbing'. It's a feeling caused by the fact that, thanks to the internet, now we have the  

news on tap: easily available so that you can have as much of it as you want, whenever you  

want. But Ella thinks that's not the whole story. There's another theory: way back in human history,  

when we lived in caves, it seemed everything could kill us, from wild animals to eating  

the wrong mushroom. Knowing what the dangers were and how to avoid them was vital to our survival.  

And from an evolutionary perspective, survival is everything. As a result, we humans naturally pay  

attention to the negative stuff, something Ella calls negativity bias. But while cavemen only knew  

what was happening in their local area, nowadays we know the bad news from all over the world. 

Here's Ella again discussing this with  her friend, TV presenter Clara Amfo,  

for BBC Radio 4 program Why Do We Do That?.

You know, before it would be like, I don't know,  

I'm assuming you'd go to the neighbour's cave and they'd only know, like, the bad news from,  

like, you know, that particular mountain. Now it's like, let me tell you about the really  

bad information and situation that's going on in some island somewhere.

And it's just that the good news doesn't make up for it.

It really doesn't. And it's -

I think trauma is romanticized, really. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

Yeah, this is a test. I think  

we're conditioned to believe that negative experiences shape us more than joyous ones.

Reading bad news from around the world can depress us, and Ella thinks that the little good news we  

do hear doesn't make up for the depressing news. 'To make up for something' means 'to compensate for  

something bad with something good'.

Good news is hard to find. In fact, Clara thinks society  

has romanticized bad traumatic news. If you 'romanticize' something, you talk about it in a  

way that makes it sound better than it really is. Connected to this is the saying 'What doesn't kill  

you makes you stronger', meaning that by going through difficult experiences in life, people  

build up strength and resilience for the future.   

Maybe it's best to stop doomscrolling altogether,

but with so much bad news pouring into our mobile phones every day, it's not easy. 

Okay, it's time to reveal the answer to my question,  

Neil. I asked you what news agency Reuters considers the top news story of 2023 so far. 

And I guessed it was b) inflation.

Which was the correct answer!

Although there's still plenty of time  for 2023 to bring us more doom,  

hopefully along with a little positivity too. Okay, let's recap the vocabulary we've  

learned from this program about doomscrolling: spending lots of time reading bad  

news stories on your phone.

Feeling 'ick' is American slang for feeling sick, often because of something  

disgusting or disturbing.

When something is 'on tap', it's easily available so that you can have as much of it as you want.

The phrasal verb 'to make up for something' means 'to compensate for something bad with something good'.

When we romanticize something, we make it sound better than it is  

and finally the saying 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger' means that by going through difficult  

life experiences, people build up strength for the future.

Once again, our six minutes are up but if  

doomscrolling is not for you, remember you can find lots of positive news stories to build your  

vocabulary here at 6 Minute English.

Don't forget that there is more to BBC learning English than  

6 Minute English - why not try to improve your vocabulary through the language in news headlines,  

try the News Review video on our website, or download the podcast.

That's bye for now.

Bye.

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Sophie.

And I'm Neil.

What are you reading?

A news blog. It says here that the  fossil of a two-headed dinosaur has  

been discovered in Greece. Look, look at this picture.

Oh, honestly Neil, you shouldn't believe everything you read on the internet.  

This story is from one of those fake news websites that float about on social media.

And you aren't the only one to get taken in. Even serious  

news channels report these types of stories as if they were true.

'Taken in' means 'fooled by something'.

Well, I must admit, I did believe it. And I didn't know that fake, or pretend, news sites  

existed. How am I supposed to know what's fake and what's real? So many extraordinary things happen.

That's a good question. And actually, digital news and its effect on traditional newspapers  

is the subject of today's show. The thing is, if you read a traditional print newspaper like I do,  

you'd find stories that are more reliable: ones you can trust.

Well, enjoy your traditional print newspaper while you can,  

Sophie, because they're going to disappear pretty soon, the same way as the dinosaurs.

It is true that print newspapers are feeling the pinch these days, and that means not making enough  

money. But I will miss them if they go, which brings me on to today's quiz question, Neil.  

How many national print newspapers are currently sold in the UK a day? Is it: 

a) 70,000 b) 700,000 

c) 7 million

Oh, I'll go for a) 70,000. It can't  be much more than that, surely.

Well, we'll find out whether you got the answer right or not later in the show. But moving on now,  

we've discussed one disadvantage of  digital news—that it can be hard to  

distinguish a real story from a fake one, given the massive information available on  

the web. So maybe you should tell  us about the advantages, Neil.

Well, you can access news 24/7 and search for it on your phone or tablet without  

having to flip through pages of stuff you aren't interested in. It isn't all in black and white,  

and it isn't all about reading. You can watch and listen too, and make comments of your own.

Okay, well let's listen to Tim Luckhurst,  Professor of Journalism at Kent University,  

to see what he thinks is important in journalism nowadays.

It doesn't matter whether your local  journalist produces news on a tablet,  

on a mobile phone, in print, online, on  television, or on radio. What matters  

is that there should be a diversity of  journalism available and that it should  

be provided by professional reporters  whose job is to do an honest, objective  

job, impartially, in the public interest,  not simply to rant or express opinions.

Tim Luckhurst there. He says that news will be successful on any platform, digital or  

traditional, so long as reporters are honest and objective in their pursuit of a good story.

If you're objective, it means you aren't influenced by personal feelings  

or opinions. If you rant, you speak in an angry, opinionated way about something.

Now, newspapers need to make money in order to pay their journalists,  

and with circulation falling dramatically, they need to find other ways to make newspapers pay.

A newspaper circulation is the number of copies it distributes per day.

Well, selling more advertising space is one way, isn't it?

Yes, but many advertisers are choosing to use digital platforms because they reach  

a wider and more targeted audience.  And this is one reason why digital  

news is taking over: it can pay for itself through advertising.

I wouldn't mind paying more for a newspaper if I knew the quality of the journalism was good.

But increasingly, people are expecting  good quality journalism for free.  

Newspapers have been around since the invention of the printing press and,  

as chronicles or written accounts of people's lives, are an important historical resource.

Let's listen to Alex Cox, researcher at genealogy website Findmypast, talking more about this.

During the First World War, local  papers always printed 'in memoriam'  

columns where they'd list local dead. What a lot of them also did was they allowed

relatives to submit short poems about their deceased loved ones, and some of them were five or six lines,

not very long, but they're really, really quite powerful, and the paper dedicated page space to print not just one of these,

but multiple, and I don't know whether a modern paper would consider doing that today.

'Deceased' is another word for 'dead'. In this case, it refers to the British soldiers who died in the first World War.

Local papers at the time printed poems written by the families of the dead men.

Those poems, captured in print, are an important historical record of the time.

Indeed, now, remember Neil, I asked you: How many national print newspapers are currently sold in the UK a day?

a) 70,000, b) 700,000 or c) 7 million?

Yes, I remember, and I said 70,000.

Well, I'm sorry Neil, but you are wrong. The answer is actually c) 7 million.

But the numbers are falling.

Well, that's still a few million more than I thought. Now I think it must be time to hear the words we learnt today.

They are: taken in, fake, reliable, feeling the pinch, objective, rant, circulation, chronicles, deceased.

Well, that's the end of today's 6 Minute English! Please join us again soon.

Goodbye.

Bye-bye.

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

And I'm Sam.

When you were a teenager,  

did your parents worry that you were  watching too much television, Sam?

They used to tell me that watching  too much TV would turn my eyes square,  but they were only joking.

When I was growing up, there were only three or four television  

channels. For parents today, there are  hundreds of TV channels to worry about,  

not to mention the internet, video games, and social media. And all of it is accessible through  

a smartphone. No wonder parents are worried about the impact of technology on young people.

I don't think it's all bad news, Neil. In fact, in this program, we'll be taking a look at a new  

report which finds little evidence to link technology with mental health problems in  

adolescents—that's young people who are in the process of developing from children into adults.

I'm not convinced, Sam. Think about how much time youngsters spend staring at screens every day.

True, but unlike passively watching television,  

today's technology is interactive, connecting teenagers to their friends around the world.

Well, maybe my quiz question will change your mind. Are you ready? On average,  

how many hours per day do British  teenagers spend on their screens? Is it: 

a) 5 and a half hours 

b) 6 and a half hours, or c) 7 and a half hours.

I'll say it's b) 6 and a half hours.

That sounds a lot to me.

Well, whatever Neil thinks, a new study from the Oxford Internet Institute paints  

a more hopeful picture. The study  analyzed data from over 400,000  

British and American teenagers and found little or no link between adolescents tech use and mental health problems.

Listen to Gareth Mitchell and Glen Bodington,  

co-presenters of BBC World Service's Digital Planet, as they discuss the report's findings.

Glen Bodington, you've been looking at some of the findings yourself, haven't you? So, so 

what's your response so far? Were you expecting to see some kind of smoking gun,  

some kind of link that would say,  "Here we are, here are the harms"?

Not really, because I think we're at a point where teenagers are much more savvy than many  

adults think. So, you know, we are at risk—all of us as journalists and the research community—to  

assume maybe this is a much more terrible problem than we understand. Because if I  

know the teenagers around me, one thing that they all have is app blockers on their sites,  

so they are actually quite aware of the addiction problems, designed, you know, designed for addiction.

Many people assume that social media harms teenagers, so Gareth asks Glen whether she was  

expecting to find a smoking gun in the report.   

The expression 'a smoking gun' means 'evidence

that proves something is true', for example, evidence proving that technology is harmful to young people.

But Glen doesn't think this is true. Actually, she calls teenagers savvy,  

meaning that they have practical knowledge of technology and a good understanding of how to use it.

One example of teenagers being technologically savvy is their use of  

app blockers—software that prevents unwanted apps and websites from popping up and allows  

users to set timers which limit screen time.   

And reducing screen time is important because

nowadays most video games and social media are designed for addiction, intended to manipulate  

human psychology to make the user want to keep playing.

But it seems that today's adolescents are  

savvy enough to know how to use electronic devices sensibly. How else can we explain the fact that,  

according to this research, there's no clear link between using tech and mental health problems?

Yes, that's certainly the view of the research team leader,  

Dr. Matti Vuorre. Here he is speaking with BBC World Service program Digital Planet

about an interesting and very  modern term. See if you can hear it.

We often hear the term 'digital native'. You know, you grow up with a device in your hand almost,  

and then it's not a surprise that you are skilled in using those technologies to your benefit.

Did you hear the expression Dr. Vuorre used, Sam?

Yes, he called teenagers 'digital natives', meaning 'someone who is very familiar and comfortable  

using computers and digital technology because they've grown up with them'.

So maybe there are benefits to spending hours looking at screens after all. In my quiz  

question, I asked Sam about the average daily screen time for British teenagers.

I said it was b) 6 and a half hours.

Which was the correct answer. Very savvy of you, Sam.

Okay, let's recap the vocabulary from this program about the impact of tech on adolescents—that's  

young people who are developing into adults. 

Today's adolescents are digital natives:

people who are very familiar with digital technology because they've grown up with it.

If you are savvy, you have a good  practical understanding of something.  

A smoking gun refers to information or evidence that proves that something is true.

An app blocker is software that blocks pop-up apps and websites and allows users to set screen time limits.

Designed for addiction describes immersive video games and social  

media which are designed to manipulate human psychology and make it hard to stop playing.

That's all for this program, but if  you're interested in the issues around  

digital technology and want to find out more, then why not visit the BBC Digital Planet

website or follow them on their  Twitter handle @DigitalPlanet.

Bye for now.

Goodbye.

Hello, and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Rob.

And I'm Neil.

Hello, Neil. Could I borrow your phone  charger, please? My phone's just died.

I don't think my charger is  compatible with your phone.

'Compatible' means when you  can use things together.

I'm afraid there'll be no status updates for you today then, Rob.

Oh dear, I can't believe it's run out of power already.

Well, you shouldn't have bought a state-of-the-art phone. It's a big drain on the battery.

'State-of-the-art' means something that has the newest ideas and features, like my phone.

So I should have stuck with a dinosaur like yours, Neil?

A 'dinosaur' here means something that is outdated. You can laugh at my phone,  

but it's got plenty of battery life left, unlike yours, Rob.

Okay, well, I might just pop out and  ask if someone's got the same charger.

Stay where you are. We're recording a program. And today's show is, you guessed it, all about phones.

Yes, that's right, Neil. And we're also talking about wireless furniture.

I beg your pardon?

Yes, furniture with built-in wireless  charging technology, like a coffee table.

'Built-in' means the technology  is included as part of the table,  

so you just pop your phone on the table and technology does the rest. Magic!

And 'wireless technology' is the way mobile phones work, using radio waves to send and receive data.

So that's what we need: a desk with a built-in charging spot  

for both our phones. But would it be compatible for both of them?

Well, that's an excellent question, and  I don't have the answer. But can you tell  

me the answer to this question: What do modern phone batteries contain? Is it: 

a) Nickel b) Lithium 

c) Lead acid

Well, lead acid sounds dangerous, so I think it's either nickel or lithium. I'll go with lithium.

Okay, well, we'll find out if you're right or wrong later on. But now let's listen to  

journalist Daisy Buchanan, who thinks that mobile phones have stopped us from having  

conversations. Listen out for a phrase  that means 'it's unlikely to happen soon'.

I was thinking yesterday how it used to be that you'd sort of go into a cafe or a pub maybe and  

look for where the loos are. But now the first thing you're looking for is sockets to try and  

find where you can charge if you don't have a friend or someone with the same charger as you.  

And maybe with this, I might be being naive, but I suspect, especially with Ikea's new wireless  

charging furniture, maybe if our batteries die a bit more frequently, we are going to look up  

a bit more and have a few more conversations. I'm not holding my breath, but you can but hope.

Daisy said some really interesting things there, so let's listen to that clip again.

I was thinking yesterday how it used to be that you'd sort of go into a cafe or a pub maybe and  

look for where the loos are. But now the first thing you're looking for is sockets to try and  

find where you can charge if you don't have a friend or someone with the same charger as you.  

And maybe with this, I might be being naive, but I suspect, especially with Ikea's new wireless  

charging furniture, maybe if our batteries die a bit more frequently, we are going to look up  

a bit more and have a few more conversations. I'm not holding my breath, but you can but hope.

So, did you get it? Another way of saying 'it's unlikely to happen soon' is 'I'm not  

holding my breath.' Now, Daisy doesn't seem keen on the idea of wireless charging  

furniture. She thinks our phones are  stopping us from having conversations.

It sounds ridiculous, but it's true, isn't it? We spend far too  

much time staring at our phones  instead of talking to each other.

Oh, sorry, what's that? I was just looking at my phone.

Come on, Rob, put the phone away.

Okay, well, that's because phone  functionality—that's what a phone  

can do—is increasing all the time. But let's move on now and think green for a minute.

Are there any environmental factors to consider in relation to new mobile phone technology? Let's  

listen to Fevzi Turkalp talking about the latest model of one mobile phone brand and find out.

They've taken the decision to make it a sealed unit,  

so no user-replaceable battery. And I  guess you're more likely then to say,  

you know what, I won't replace the  battery, I'll just get a new phone.

So, Fevzi says this new phone doesn't  have a user-replaceable battery,  

meaning you can't take it out and replace it. And this is a problem for the environment.

That's right. Environmentalists want products that are designed to be taken apart. Then they  

can be easily upgraded, repaired, or  recycled. But you can't do this with a  

sealed unit—a unit that cannot be opened.

And this means toxic or poisonous materials are  

often dumped in landfill. And you guessed it—that's really bad for the environment.

Now, remember at the beginning of  the program I asked you: What do modern  

phone batteries contain?

And I said 'lithium'.

And you know your batteries well  because that's the right answer.

Wow, what a great guess! Now, Rob, how about those words again?

Okay, the words we heard today were compatible, state-of-the-art,  

dinosaur, wireless furniture, built-in, wireless technology,  

I'm not holding my breath, functionality, think green, user-replaceable, sealed unit, toxic.

Well, that brings us to the end of today's 6 Minute English.  

We hope you're feeling charged up by today's program. Please join us again soon.

- Bye-bye. - Bye.

Hello, I'm Rob. Welcome to 6 Minute  English. I'm joined today by Finn.

Hello.

Now Finn, could you give us a smile, please?

Okay, hang on... Oh, you're going to take a picture of me with that smartphone. Well,  

hang on, just let me comb my hair a bit.

Finn, Finn, Finn, you look fine. Don't worry about it. Right, I want... have you got a mirror?

No, I haven't. Just hold it there.

Okay, hold it there. Nice, okay, let's have a look. Right,  

I'm going to save that now. Okay, that's it. It's gone to the cloud.

Oh, really?

Yes, we'll be able to look at that later on, on my laptop.

The cloud? You don't mean the one in the sky, of course. No, you mean the huge computers where  

companies like Apple, Facebook, and Google store their users' pictures, videos, and documents.

You know, I'm a little suspicious about the cloud.

Are you?

Well, I just don't want lots of people looking at that picture,  

mainly because my hair doesn't look quite right.

You're so vain.

Anyway, it's too late now, but you look  fine, so you can share it with the world.

Okay, think about those poor celebrities who've had their nude pictures leaked online.

'Leaked' now refers to pictures that were being kept hidden being made  

available to the public. They were leaked to the public. Actress Jennifer Lawrence,  

who starred in The Hunger Games movies, was one, as was the singer Rihanna.  

This incident has made people discuss the issue of privacy on the internet.

'Privacy' means 'being free from public attention'. And in this program,  

you will hear useful words for giving your opinion on this subject.

Yes, the celebrities were very angry. They thought they could keep their pictures private  

because they were in the cloud, protected by a password—a word or sequence of numbers that  

only they knew and which is required for them to gain access to what is stored in their name.

The US federal police—that's the FBI—have been investigating this to find the hackers  

involved. Hackers are people who understand a lot about computers and use flaws or little  

problems in the software to gain access to a computer file or network illegally.

Today, we have passwords for everything, and we have so many devices like smartphones,  

laptops, and computers. So, I'm going  to ask you a question about smartphones.

Okay, very good.

According to research, how many people had smartphones in 2013? Was it: 

a) 1.4 million people 

b) 14 million people, or c) 1.4 billion people

Across the whole world? I think this  has got to be c) 1.4 billion people.

Well, you'll get the correct answer at the end of the program. Right,  

let's talk more about privacy online. People are more and more concerned about it.  

Listen to the advice internet expert Oliver Crofton gives us. Which word does he  

use to describe how you have to be  when putting things into the cloud?

I think ultimately it's about being slightly savvy on what you put into the cloud. If you  

have a private or sensitive photograph or a contract or some sort of document that has  

public interest and that people will want to try and get, just think twice about putting it into  

an environment such as the cloud, which you don't really have any control over.

He says people have to be 'savvy'. Now, that means 'well-informed and quite shrewd', you know,  

thinking carefully about things. He advises us to be very careful  

before putting documents and pictures onto these websites owned by big corporations.

Yes, because he says we don't have  any control over their computers.  

You don't know how secure your documents are.

Yeah, you know, Rob, I can see why  people are suspicious of these things.

Okay, well, let's hear what the BBC technology correspondent Rory  

Cellan-Jones has to say. Rory explains  how some cloud companies are offering to  

make the cloud more secure. Which word does he use to describe this kind of security process?

And it also means identification of the  user.

Many cloud companies now offer an  

added layer of security called 'two-factor authentication', where users have to enter  

a code sent to their mobile phone as well as a password to get into their accounts.

Okay, the word was 'authentication'. Now, that's confirmation that someone is who  

they say they are, and the company  actually uses two steps to do this.

Yes, after you try to access your account, they send a code—probably a series of numbers—to  

your mobile phone. So, it's an extra  bit of information that only you know.

We really all should be very careful about how we protect our computers, tablets, and smartphones.

- Talking about smartphones, let's go back to my question. - Okay.

I asked you how many people had mobile phones in 2013. Was it 1.4 million people,  

14 million people, or 1.4 billion people?

And I said 1.4 billion, the big one.

And you are correct.

Okay, yes. By the end of 2013, about 1.4 billion people owned and used smartphones. And by the end  

of 2014, this number will increase by 25%. This is according to the research company eMarketer.

Wow, what a lot of phones, Rob.

Indeed. Well, our time is up,  

so let's remember some of the words  we've explained today. They were:

Cloud Leak 

Privacy, or privacy Password 

Hackers Savvy 

Authentication.That's it for today. Do log on to  

bbclearningenglish.com - there are no passwords - to find more 6 Minute English. Bye for now.

Bye.