Dan: This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Dan Walker Smith
and today I'm joined by Alice. Hello Alice!
Alice: Hi Dan.
Dan: Alice, you've got some news about a media blackout in an English town, right?
Alice: That's right; a media blackout; that's a ban on all media. It's happening at
Bournemouth University on the south coast of England.
Dan: OK, so there's no media anywhere in Bournemouth?
Alice: Well it's not a complete media blackout; the ban is just affecting hundreds of
university students, as part of an experiment to see how they react without
media.
Dan: Aha! OK, well before you go on, I've got a media question for you: according
to the latest Facebook figures, how many active Facebook users are there in the
world? Is it:
a) 300 million
b) 500 million
c) 800 million
Alice: Oh I've just recently seen that film about Facebook, so I'm going to guess 800
million.
Dan: OK top number there. Well we'll see if you're right later on in the programme.
Now Alice, tell us a bit more about this experiment.
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Alice: Absolutely. Well the experiment's called Unplugged, because the people
who've volunteered have been asked to unplug their media devices, such as
laptops, phones and TVs, for 24 hours. And they're not allowed to listen to the
radio or read newspapers either.
Dan: OK, so no access to any media. But 24 hours doesn't seem like a very long
time.
Alice: No it doesn't, but some of the volunteers have found it really difficult, as you
can hear from one of the guinea pigs in the experiment.
By the way, a guinea pig here is a strange term for describing someone who
takes part in a new experiment or test. They're usually little furry animals, a bit
like short-eared rabbits, and make very nice pets. But in this case it means
someone who takes part in an experiment.
This is one of the guinea pigs, Charlotte Gay:
Extract 1: Charlotte Gay
It’s been a real struggle to be honest, even here in the student union here, you have to
literally shut down and try and avoid all contacts with media; it's really difficult.
Dan: So our guinea pig Charlotte there said it was a real struggle to avoid all contact
with the media. She said she had to shut down; basically just stop doing
anything.
Alice: Yeah, the media's everywhere, so not surprisingly Charlotte said it was really
difficult.
Dan: OK, but how has this media ban affected the students' mental well-being,
Alice?
Alice: Well their mental well-being; you'd think 24 hours, how will they feel about
themselves and their emotional health? Well, Doctor Roman Gerodimos, is a
media lecturer at Bournemouth University. He helped with the experiment and
he here is describing some of the students’ symptoms:
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Extract 2: Roman Gerodimos
They are reporting withdrawal symptoms, overeating, feeling nervous, feeling isolated,
disconnected, they don’t know what to do with themselves all the time, just going round
their room or their house in silence and they really hate that!
Dan: Wow, so it sounds like the media ban had a very negative effect on the
students.
Alice: Yeah, Doctor Gerodimos said some students were overeating; they were
eating too much food. And they were also feeling nervous and isolated.
Isolated means lonely or detached from other people. They also felt
disconnected, which is another word meaning detached or cut off.
Dan: Let's have another listen to the clip.
Extract 2: Roman Gerodimos
They are reporting withdrawal symptoms, overeating, feeling nervous, feeling isolated,
disconnected, they don’t know what to do with themselves all the time, just going round
their room or their house in silence and they really hate that!
Dan: So a lot of problems there in just 24 hours. And have there been any long-term
effects?
Alice: Long-term effects – changes that last for a long time. Well, the experiment has
only just finished, so we don’t know the full findings yet. But let’s hear some
thoughts from another student, Caroline Scott, and also afterwards the voice of
BBC correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones.
Extract 3: Caroline Scott and Rory Cellan-Jones
Caroline: Yeah it is quite nice to be totally separated for about two hours I would say,
maximum. Other than that I would like to have my phone on me, or the internet, or
something.
Rory: As a nation we now spend half our waking hours using the media in some form
and these young people can’t imagine being permanently unplugged.
Dan: So Caroline said it's nice to be separated from the media for two hours
maximum, but after that she wanted her phone or the internet.
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Alice: Exactly, as Rory Cellan-Jones concluded, as we spend half our waking hours
– that's half the time we're awake – using media, a lot of young people can’t
imagine being ‘permanently unplugged’.
Dan: Well, there's just time for a reminder of some of the language we've come
across today. Alice, could you help us out with those please.
Alice: Of course; we had:
media blackout
unplugged
guinea pig
mental well-being
overeating
isolated
disconnected
long-term effects
waking hours
Dan: And our question of the week: How many active Facebook users are there in
the world? Is it:
a) 300 million
b) 500 million
c) 800 million
Alice: Well I guessed 800 million.
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Dan: Yeah, you're actually a bit too high with 800 million. 500 million users at the
last count, but that is rising by the day, so it could be 800 very very soon.
Alice: Amazing!
Dan: It really is. But I'm afraid that's all we have time for in today's 6 Minute
English. So thanks so much for joining us, and goodbye.
Alice: Bye!
