Trump to launch new social media platform: BBC News Review

Former president Donald Trump has announced plans

to launch his own social media network.

Hello, I'm Rob and welcome to BBC News Review.

And joining me today is Neil. Hello Neil.

Hi Rob. Hello everybody.

If you would like to test yourself on the vocabulary

you learn in this programme, there's a quiz on our website

at bbclearningenglish.com.

But now, let's hear more about that story from this BBC News report:

So, Donald Trump, the former president,

has decided to launch his own social media network called Truth Social.

Now, as we know, social media was crucial

to Donald Trump's campaign to become president and then,

whilst he was president, Twitter was his favourite way

of getting his messages out to his followers.

But, he was banned from Twitter and other social media platforms

after the events on Capitol Hill in Washington

after the last election earlier on this year.

Now, he says he's going to launch a new network

so that he can get his voice out there

and so he can challenge the big technology companies.

Yes, and we've got three words and expressions that you can use

to talk about this story, haven't we?

We have. They are: 'silenced', 'big tech' and 'take on'.

That's 'silenced', 'big tech' and 'take on'.

OK. Well, one of those words appears in your first headline.

What is that headline please, Neil?

Yes, it does. So, the headline is from Sky News

in the UK and it reads:

'Silenced' – that's prevented from speaking.

Yes. 'Silenced', spelt S-I-L-E-N-C-E-D.

Now, people probably recognise the word in the middle there,

which is a noun: 'silence'. What's 'silence'?

Well, 'silence' is when there's no noise.

Sometimes it's a beautiful sound, absolute 'silence'.

Yeah, 'silence' is the absence of any sound

and the adjective... adjective there is 'silent', but...

A bit like the Christmas carol, 'Silent Night'.

That's right, yes. But, we can also use this as a verb:

to 'silence' someone.

'To silence someone': that means to make someone silent –

to stop them from making noise or speaking

or expressing their opinion.

So, here you don't have any choice in being silent;

you're... you're being made to be silent.

That's right, yes. So, clearly in this headline

Donald Trump is saying that he wants to say things

and the networks aren't letting him,

so he feels as if he has been 'silenced' –

that they have made him silent.

And it's quite a formal word to use, isn't it, when you're 'silenced'?

Yeah, we use this to talk about serious things, really.

So, opinions that are being prevented from being expressed

and that type of thing.

We don't use it, for example –

you've got children haven't you, Rob?

Yeah.

Yeah, and probably they make noise from time to time.

You wouldn't say that you 'silenced' them;

you would say that you 'asked them to be quiet'

or something – something a bit harsher if you were bit angry.

I'd say: 'Keep the noise down,' yes – 'be quiet.'

But, yes, I wouldn't say: 'I am silencing you!'

Yeah and we wouldn't say they you 'silenced' your children;

we'd just say you asked them to be quiet.

So, 'silenced' – quite... quite formal and serious sounding.

OK. Well, let's have a summary of that word:

OK. We've talked a lot about Donald Trump here on News Review

and earlier this year we did a story about when he was acquitted.

Now, the former president, of course,

had been found not guilty of inciting insurrection

at the US Capitol back in January.

If you want a reminder of that story, where can people find it, Neil?

All our audience has to do is click on the link below.

Down below. Brilliant. OK.

Let's have a look at your next headline please.

The next headline is from the Mail Online,

again in the UK, and it reads:

So, this is: 'big tech' – large technology companies.

That's right. Made up of two words: 'big', B-I-G, and 'tech', T-E-C-H.

OK. So, 'big tech': we're talking about big TVs, aren't we?

Big game consoles? Big technology...?

Well, I understand why you think that Rob, but you are not correct.

I know you like to have a big TV to watch football matches

but this is not about the size of gadgets

or individual pieces of technology;

it's about the technology companies and their size,

and by size we mean their economic power,

the number of employees they have, their influence – that type of thing,

which of course is 'big'.

And is this all technology companies we're talking about?

We're talking about the big four or...

big four or five.

So, we're talking about Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter –

companies like these.

These are well known brands, aren't they, around the world?

That's right, yeah. Also known as the 'tech giants',

or the 'big four' or 'big five',

and all of those expressions have 'big' or 'giant',

again referring to the size of these companies.

And we use the word 'tech', not 'technology'.

That's right. 'Tech' is a common short form of the word 'technology'.

Technology is a big word, so we shorten it just to 'tech'

and it refers to these companies but also,

as you were saying at the beginning there, Rob,

individual gadgets – pieces of technology.

And I know somebody who does like their technology:

that's Roy, isn't it? He loves 'tech'.

'He loves his tech,' as we say.

Would you describe him as 'a techie'?

Possibly. He could be a bit 'techie', in that he loves the technology,

he likes to know how it works and he likes to use it as well.

Yeah. So, that is an expression –

that's a word that we use to describe somebody

who really likes their technology or who works in technology.

So, if somebody is an engineer of some kind, involved in technology,

we can call them 'a techie'.

They like the small details, don't they, sometimes in the technology?

That's another way, perhaps a bit negative,

that we might call somebody 'a techie'.

Yes, it's not always a nice thing to say about someone –

to describe them as 'a techie' – slightly, kind of, nerdy feel to it.

Mmm. But we're being nice about Roy here of course.

Always.

Great. Well, let's have a summary of that word:

So, there we were talking about 'big tech' – big companies –

and we have a series of videos on our website and on YouTube now,

all about big business and multinationals and international law,

and the most recent video is about the future of companies.

Multinational companies are getting bigger and bigger.

What does the future hold?

Well, how can we find out the answer to that question, Neil?

Well, to watch this fascinating video and series,

you just need to click on the link below.

Yeah, down below. Thank you.

Right, let's have a look at your next headline please.

Next headline comes from the Bloomberg website and it reads:

  'Take on' – compete against someone.

'Take on' – spelt T-A-K-E and then a separate word 'on' –

is a phrasal verb. Now, as we know with phrasal verbs,

they can have many different meanings that aren't really connected,

or don't seem to be connected to each other obviously.

For example, if you run a company and you want to hire somebody

we 'take them on'.

How else is 'take on' used, Rob?

Some people 'take on' the characteristics of someone else.

So, when they start looking like somebody else

or acting like somebody else, we say:

'They're taking on the appearance of somebody else.'

So, they're just a couple of examples,

but here, in this headline, 'take on' has a different meaning:

it means challenge, compete with someone.

Is it about fighting? I don't... I like a good fight.

I'm going to 'take on' someone.

It is about fighting, both...

both literally and also figuratively. So...

So, is Donald Trump... is Donald Trump going to have a fight then?

I don't think he'll be having a physical fight,

but he is going to have a challenge, a struggle,

a competition with these companies that already exist,

in order to try and defeat them.

And so we see this use of 'take on' very often in the sporting world.

We can talk about, for example,

Manchester United are going to 'take on' Real Madrid in the Champions League,

or you mentioned you like fighting –

can be used to describe boxing matches.

Yes, like Tyson Fury 'took on' Deontay Wilder a few weeks ago.

So, yes, that… that meaning of 'take on' is connected to competition.

Yeah. So, there's an element of competition,

but it's quite a big competition: we wouldn't use it

on a, kind of, small-scale fight or challenge, would we?

No, unless we were being, kind of, slightly jokey –

having... having a laugh.

For example, we know, Rob, we know that you are undoubtedly

the biscuit-eating champion at BBC Learning English,

but Roy has decided that he's going to 'take you on' and try to...

try to eat more than you.

Do you think he can do it?

He won't win. I mean, I know where I hide the biscuits of course,

so he's going to lose, I think.

But, yeah, come on. Come on, Roy – 'take me on'!

OK. Great.

Well, let's have a summary of that expression:

OK. It's time now to have a recap of those three words and expressions

that we discussed today. What are they please, Neil?

We have 'silenced' – prevented from speaking.

'Big tech' – large technology companies.

'Take on' – compete against someone.

Great. And just a reminder – you can test yourself on the understanding

of this vocabulary in a quiz that's on our website

at bbclearningenglish.com.

And don't forget – you can check us out on all the big social media websites,

but not Donald Trump's one yet, I don't think. OK.

That's all we have time for today.

Do join us again next week. Bye for now.

Goodbye.