Oxbridge Hub

THE EFFECT OF WHATSAPP ON RELATIONSHIPS

WhatsApp is an instant messaging application that is changing the world of social relations. And it’s free!

“It’s great technology; it facilitates interaction and the exchange of information in real time,” said Enrique Garcia Huete, a professor of psychology from Madrid. The main novelty with respect to other communication channels, is that WhatsApp displays the user’s information; you can see if the user is online, their chosen profile picture and, most of all, whether or not the user has read your message.

Unfortunately, WhatsApp is also causing family crises and tension among friends. Suspicion arises when the sender of the message sees that the receiver has read the message but does not instantly respond. Unlike unanswered emails and phone calls, instant messaging applications require immediate response. “This is the perfect channel to enhance relations in the first phases of infatuation, but then it can lead to problems if one person becomes obsessed,” says Garcia Huete.

VIDEO LINK URL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIGb1jZXCV0

DEBATE QUESTIONS:

•  What do you think of WhatsApp and other instant messaging applications?
• How often do you use WhatsApp/instant messaging?
• How important is it for you to communicate with your friends/family via intstant messaging?
• Has communication via WhatsApp ever caused problems in your social relationships (with friends/family/significant other)?
• How do you react when you don’t receive an immediate response?
• What are the advantages of using WhatsApp?
• What are the disadvantages?
• Do you think there is a difference between communicating via WhatsApp, email, and phone calls? What is it?
• How do you think applications like WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter affect the younger generation?

TARGET LANGUAGE

INSTANT MESSAGING: A form of communication that offers quick transmission of text-based messages from sender to receiver.

EXCHANGE: The act of giving one thing and receving another.

ENHANCE: Intensify the quality, value and performance of something.

REAL TIME:  The actual time in which an event occurs.

CHANNELS: A medium for communicating data from one location to another.

CRISES: The plural of crisis.

ARISE: When a problem or situation becomes apparent.

UNANSWERED: Not responded to.

BARCELONA SHOPKEEPERS FINED

Barcelona shopkeepers who legally commissioned graffiti artists to paint their shopfront SHUTTERS are FACING fines of up to 600€ by city authorities intent on CRACKING DOWN on anti-social behaviour.

“The law regards graffiti as something that SOILS the public space, devalues our HERITAGE and visually DEGRADES the URBAN FABRIC,” a city spokesman said.

VIDEO LINK URL:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHJBdDSTbLw 

DEBATE QUESTIONS:

• Do you like art?
• Do you know what GRAFFITI is?
• Do you like it? Why or why not?
• Do you think it is “art” or “vandalism”? Why?
• What about freedom of artistic expression?
• Is it still anti-social behaviour if shopkeepers commission it?
• Is it fair for the city authorities to fine the shopkeepers?
• Do you think this is a good method of discouraging anti-social behaviour, like ‘tags’?
• Is this a good scheme to beautify a neighbourhood?

ACTIVITY:

Ask students to imagine themselves walking through Barcelona at night. Ask them to tell you what they see.  Encourage the students to be as descriptive as possible, mentioning bars, squares, people on the street, shop windows and GRAFFITI. Then show students images of graffiti in Barcelona. Encourage discussion about the images.

ROLE PLAY

Divide roles between students:

• Graffiti artists
• Shop Owners
• Representatives of the city council

Encourage students to debate in front of the “city council” whether or not legally commissioned graffiti is beneficial to the community.

TARGET LANGUAGE: 

SHUTTERS: One of a pair of wooden or metal covers on the outside of a window that can be closed to keep light out or prevent thieves from coming in.

TO FACE: If you face or are faced with a difficult situation, or if a difficult situation faces you, it is going to affect you and you must deal with it.

CRACKING DOWN: Reducing or stopping something (normally illegal).

HERITAGE: The traditional beliefs, values, customs etc of a family, country, or society.

DEGRADE: To disfigure.

TAG: To mark or vandalize (a surface) with graffiti.

SOILS: To disgrace; tarnish.