Hello! This is Aida with a new episode of Learn Arabic with Ease for pre-intermediate learners of colloquial Arabic. In this series, I will be speaking about a different topic every time, suitable for this specific level, and obviously at a slower pace than normal to make it easier for you to understand the content.

The purpose is to provide you with the necessary vocabulary on a wide range of topics, such as family, hobbies, studying, travelling and so on.

 

 

Today I’m going to talk about Media.

 

Media refers to the resources we use to acquire information and news. Media sources have changed a lot over the past 30 years.  Back then, people used to rely mainly on the radio, television, newspapers, and magazines to get information about what is going on in the world. The number of channels was also much more limited than today.

 

Today, the younger generation almost completely relies on social media both for information and to interact with friends and family. Older generations also use social media but to a lesser extent. They normally prefer direct human interaction because this is how they grew up.

 

Social media have advantages and disadvantages. They have become indispensable as a means of communication with family and friends abroad. They represent the fastest and most practical way to keep in touch with loved ones in other countries. Also, anyone can upload a video of a political or social nature that normal news channels might decide to block. It has become more difficult for official channels to stop the transmission of unwanted news.

 

However, social media have been criticised because the younger generation use such platforms excessively, and in some cases have turned into an addiction. Many teenagers have become obsessed with this form of communication to the extent that they have become much less physically active than they should. This leads to health issues and sleep problems.

 

Another disadvantage is that it has become easier to circulate fake news. Many people believe the news they find on social media without realizing that it is fake.

 

Now let me give you an example of what people might say in reply to questions related to media.

 

I use both traditional media and social media. I believe no news source is completely objective. Each channel tries to convey news in a manner that is compatible with its own political views to a certain extent. In order to develop a more balanced view of news items, one needs to follow more than one news source to see how it is covered from different angles.

 

Social media can be beneficial in terms of keeping in touch with people, but I am against publishing personal content and too many photos. On many social media platforms, it is not possible to delete personal content after it has been posted. Perhaps some people regret certain information and photos they have posted many years ago.

 

Also, the younger generation should not lose direct contact with people because direct communication helps you to better understand others through body language. In my opinion, people should spend less time on social media because it often leads to inactivity and wasted time. Many people probably regret spending too much time on social media by the end of each day.

 

So, that’s all for today’s episode. I hope you have found it useful. If you liked it, remember that listening to the same episode more than once is very helpful in remembering the new vocabulary you have learnt. It was great having you with me. I’d appreciate you leaving me a like and would love it if you could join me for more episodes.

 

This is Aida from Learn Arabic with Ease! Bye Bye!