Elon Musk is making changes to his social media site, X, which used to be called Twitter. He is creating two new types of paid accounts. One will cost less but will show ads, and the other will cost more but won’t have any ads. He has started to ask new users in New Zealand and the Philippines to pay $1 to use the site. He thinks this will stop fake accounts.
We don’t know all the details about these new paid accounts yet. We also don’t know if there will be any free options. Musk is trying to get people to pay for better service. Some people are already paying $8 per month for a special service. X is also trying to stop spam and fake accounts. But some advertisers are worried about bad content and are not coming back to the site.
Other tech companies like YouTube and Netflix have also tried using both ads and paid accounts. YouTube shares money from paid accounts with people who make videos. We don’t know if X will do the same. The European Commission is checking if X is following new rules about bad and illegal content.
Original news source: Elon Musk says X to have two new premium tiers (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students will read the article and then summarize it in their own words. They should focus on the main points and key details. After a few minutes, have them share their summaries with another pair and compare their answers.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group should discuss and decide whether they would be willing to pay for a social media site without ads. They should also consider the advantages and disadvantages of paid accounts. After the discussion, each group should present their opinions to the class and explain their reasons.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Prepare a list of vocabulary words related to the article (e.g. social media, paid accounts, fake accounts, spam). Divide the class into teams and give each team a word. One student from each team will draw a visual representation of the word on the board, while their teammates guess what the word is. The team that guesses correctly earns a point.
– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: In pairs, students will think about the advantages and disadvantages of social media sites like X. After a few minutes, they should share their ideas with their partner. Then, each pair will share their thoughts with the rest of the class. Encourage students to use the vocabulary and concepts from the article in their discussions.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: In small groups, students will discuss and make predictions about the future of social media sites and paid accounts. They should consider factors such as user preferences, technological advancements, and potential challenges. Each group will present their predictions to the class and explain their reasoning.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What changes is Elon Musk making to his social media site, X?
2. What are the two new types of paid accounts that Elon Musk is creating?
3. Why is Elon Musk asking new users in New Zealand and the Philippines to pay $1 to use the site?
4. What is Elon Musk trying to do by asking people to pay for better service?
5. Why are some advertisers worried about bad content on the site?
6. Which other tech companies have tried using both ads and paid accounts?
7. What is the European Commission checking about X?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Elon Musk is making (1)______ to his social media site, X, which used to be called Twitter. He is (2)______ two new types of paid accounts. One will cost less but will show ads, and the other will cost more but won’t have any ads. He has (3)______ to ask new users in New Zealand and the Philippines to pay $1 to use the site. He thinks this will stop fake (4)______.
We don’t know all the details about these new paid accounts yet. We also don’t know if there will be any free (5)______. Musk is (6)______ to get people to pay for better service. Some people are already (7)______ $8 per month for a special service. X is also trying to stop spam and fake accounts. But some advertisers are worried about bad (8)______ and are not (9)______ back to the site.
Other tech companies like YouTube and Netflix have also tried using both ads and paid accounts. (10)______ shares (11)______ from paid accounts with people who make (12)______. We don’t know if X will do the same. The European Commission is checking if X is following new rules about bad and illegal content.
Go to answers ⇩
Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. What is a social media site?
2. How do you feel about seeing ads on a social media site?
3. Do you like the idea of paying to use a social media site? Why or why not?
4. How would you feel if you had to pay more to use a social media site without any ads?
5. Do you think paying $1 to use a social media site will stop fake accounts? Why or why not?
6. What do you think is the purpose of creating two new types of paid accounts on X?
7. How do you think the new paid accounts on X will improve the service?
8. Do you think other tech companies should also offer paid accounts? Why or why not?
9. How would you feel if you had to pay $8 per month for a special service on X?
10. What do you think about tech companies trying to stop spam and fake accounts?
11. How do you think YouTube shares money with people who make videos?
12. Do you think X should follow the new rules about bad and illegal content? Why or why not?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. Elon Musk
2. social media
3. paid accounts
4. ads
5. fake accounts
6. spam
7. bad content
8. illegal content
Meanings:
(a) Accounts that are not real and pretend to be someone else
(b) Things that are against the law and you can get in trouble for
(c) Unwanted messages or emails that try to trick you
(d) The name of a famous person who started X
(e) Special types of accounts that you have to pay for
(f) Websites and apps where people can connect
(g) Pictures or videos that try to sell you something
(h) Things that are not good or appropriate to see
Go to answers ⇩
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. What is Elon Musk making changes to?
(a) His social media site, X
(b) His car company, Tesla
(c) His space exploration company, SpaceX
(d) His electric vehicle company, Rivian
2. What are the two new types of paid accounts on X?
(a) One with ads and one without ads
(b) One with videos and one without videos
(c) One with games and one without games
(d) One with photos and one without photos
3. How much does Elon Musk ask new users in New Zealand and the Philippines to pay to use X?
(a) $5
(b) $10
(c) $20
(d) $1
4. Why does Elon Musk want people to pay for better service on X?
(a) To make more money
(b) To stop fake accounts
(c) To attract advertisers
(d) To compete with other social media sites
5. What are some advertisers worried about on X?
(a) Fake accounts
(b) Illegal content
(c) Bad content
(d) All of the above
6. Which other tech companies have tried using both ads and paid accounts?
(a) Facebook and Instagram
(b) Google and Amazon
(c) Snapchat and TikTok
(d) YouTube and Netflix
7. What does YouTube do with the money from paid accounts?
(a) Donates it to charity
(b) Shares it with people who make videos
(c) Keeps it all for themselves
(d) Invests it in new technology
8. Who is checking if X is following new rules about bad and illegal content?
(a) The United Nations
(b) The World Health Organization
(c) The European Commission
(d) The Federal Trade Commission
True or False Questions:
1. One of the new paid accounts will cost less but will show ads, while the other will cost more but won’t have any ads.
2. Musk wants people to pay for better service on X.
3. Elon Musk believes that charging users will not help prevent fake accounts on X.
4. New users in New Zealand and the Philippines are being asked to pay $1 to use the site.
5. X is working to stop spam and fake accounts, but some advertisers are hesitant to return to the site due to concerns about bad content.
6. The details about these new paid accounts are already known, including whether there will be any free options.
7. Elon Musk is not changing his social media site, X, and creating new types of paid accounts.
8. No users are already paying $8 per month for a special service on X.
Go to answers ⇩
Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
Writing Questions:
Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.
1. What is Elon Musk doing to his social media site, X?
2. How much does Elon Musk want new users in New Zealand and the Philippines to pay to use the site?
3. Why does Elon Musk want people to pay for better service on X?
4. What are some of the problems X is trying to solve?
5. What are some other tech companies that have tried using both ads and paid accounts?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What changes is Elon Musk making to his social media site, X?
Elon Musk is creating two new types of paid accounts on his social media site, X.
2. What are the two new types of paid accounts that Elon Musk is creating?
The two new types of paid accounts are one that costs less but shows ads, and another that costs more but doesn’t have any ads.
3. Why is Elon Musk asking new users in New Zealand and the Philippines to pay $1 to use the site?
Elon Musk is asking new users in New Zealand and the Philippines to pay $1 to use the site in order to stop fake accounts.
4. What is Elon Musk trying to do by asking people to pay for better service?
Elon Musk is trying to get people to pay for better service in order to improve the user experience on the site.
5. Why are some advertisers worried about bad content on the site?
Some advertisers are worried about bad content on the site because it may affect their brand reputation and they don’t want their ads to appear next to inappropriate or harmful content.
6. Which other tech companies have tried using both ads and paid accounts?
Other tech companies like YouTube and Netflix have also tried using both ads and paid accounts.
7. What is the European Commission checking about X?
The European Commission is checking if X is following new rules about bad and illegal content.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
(1) changes
(2) creating
(3) started
(4) accounts
(5) options
(6) trying
(7) paying
(8) content
(9) coming
(10) YouTube
(11) money
(12) videos
Go back to questions ⇧
Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. Elon Musk
Answer: (d) The name of a famous person who started X
2. social media
Answer: (f) Websites and apps where people can connect
3. paid accounts
Answer: (e) Special types of accounts that you have to pay for
4. ads
Answer: (g) Pictures or videos that try to sell you something
5. fake accounts
Answer: (a) Accounts that are not real and pretend to be someone else
6. spam
Answer: (c) Unwanted messages or emails that try to trick you
7. bad content
Answer: (h) Things that are not good or appropriate to see
8. illegal content
Answer: (b) Things that are against the law and you can get in trouble for
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. What is Elon Musk making changes to?
Answer: (a) His social media site, X
2. What are the two new types of paid accounts on X?
Answer: (a) One with ads and one without ads
3. How much does Elon Musk ask new users in New Zealand and the Philippines to pay to use X?
Answer: (d) $1
4. Why does Elon Musk want people to pay for better service on X?
Answer: (b) To stop fake accounts
5. What are some advertisers worried about on X?
Answer: (c) Bad content
6. Which other tech companies have tried using both ads and paid accounts?
Answer: (d) YouTube and Netflix
7. What does YouTube do with the money from paid accounts?
Answer: (b) Shares it with people who make videos
8. Who is checking if X is following new rules about bad and illegal content?
Answer: (c) The European Commission
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. One of the new paid accounts will cost less but will show ads, while the other will cost more but won’t have any ads. (Answer: True)
2. Musk wants people to pay for better service on X. (Answer: True)
3. Elon Musk believes that charging users will not help prevent fake accounts on X. (Answer: False)
4. New users in New Zealand and the Philippines are being asked to pay $1 to use the site. (Answer: True)
5. X is working to stop spam and fake accounts, but some advertisers are hesitant to return to the site due to concerns about bad content. (Answer: True)
6. The details about these new paid accounts are already known, including whether there will be any free options. (Answer: False)
7. Elon Musk is not changing his social media site, X, and creating new types of paid accounts. (Answer: False)
8. No users are already paying $8 per month for a special service on X. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧
