What Are Your Media Habits?

Let’s talk about your media habits.

Level A2

What is Mass Media?

media – (singular: medium) засоби масової інформації (ЗМІ)

Mass media play an important role in everyday life.

Mass media

give us information

entertain us

are the means of communication, the way we get in touch with other people

include books, newspapers, magazines, radio, television, films, the internet.

The important role of media is to collect and pass on information.

People use media to read. They read:

books
novels
graphic novels
sci-fi stories
horror stories
comics
poems
newspapers
magazines
horoscopes
the news
local news
international news
blogs
websites
articles in Wikipedia
articles on current affairs
messages on message boards or forums
weather forecasts
film reviews
game reviews
sports pages
sports results
social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, WhatsApp)
news about celebrities

People use media to listen to:

music
classical music
hip hop
pop music
rock music
techno music
rap music
the news
current affairs
radio programmes
weather forecast
phone-in
interviews
operas
concerts

People use media to watch:

TV programmes
videos on YouTube
the news
weather forecast
news headlines
documentaries
soap operas
talk shows
game shows
reality shows
talent shows
vlogs
video clips
horror films
comedies
cartoons
action films
fantasy
science fiction films (sci-fi)
detective films
operas
concerts
performances

Television

Television is one of the most popular mass media. Television is one of the most important means of communication, a mass medium for advertising, entertainment, news, sports and education.

People of all ages watch TV. Today people watch TV in different ways. Some families like watching television together. They have fun together, can talk about the film or programme but sometimes they can have arguments.

Watching TV is a favourite free time activity for millions of people. Some people who watch too much TV are called couch potatoes because they spend a lot of time sitting or lying on the sofa or couch watching TV. People have square eyes if they watch a lot of TV programmes and even advertisements. Pensioners and middle-aged people watch many hours of TV every week.

Many people watch TV programmes online. Internet TV makes it possible to view the same television channels on the Internet. Internet television is also known as Web television.

Teenagers don’t watch much TV. Teenagers have a new obsession – they like surfing the internet. They do many things online: listen to music, watch videos, find information for school projects, have online classes, post messages on message boards, check sports results, follow friends and celebrities on social networking sites, chat with friends and family on Viber or WhatsApp.

Answer the Questions

Do you read newspapers and magazines?
What newspapers and magazines do you read?
What local newspapers do you know?
What types of TV programmes do you prefer watching?
What are you dad’s/mum’s/sister’s/brother’s favourite TV programmes?
Who loves watching the news/news headlines in your family?
Do you like watching cartoons/documentaries/soap operas/films/talk shows/talent shows/game shows?
Who is interested in current affairs in your family?
Do you listen to the radio?
Have you got any favourite radio stations?
Who watches/listens to the weather forecast in your family?
Do you like reading/watching film reviews?
What type of media do you use to find information for school projects/to check the weather forecast/to read horoscopes/ to listen to music/to watch videos/to read celebrities’ blogs/to watch soap operas/play games?
What do you use your smartphone for?