Media Blackout

    Dan: This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Dan Walker Smithand 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 atBournemouth 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 ofuniversity students, as part of an experiment to see how they react withoutmedia.

    Dan: Aha! OK, well before you go on, I've got a media question for you: accordingto the latest Facebook figures, how many active Facebook users are there in theworld? Is it:

    a) 300 millionb) 500 millionc) 800 millionAlice: Oh I've just recently seen that film about Facebook, so I'm going to guess 800million.

    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.

    6 Minute English ? bbclearningenglish.com 2010Page 2 of 5Alice: Absolutely. Well the experiment's called Unplugged, because the peoplewho've volunteered have been asked to unplug their media devices, such aslaptops, phones and TVs, for 24 hours. And they're not allowed to listen to theradio or read newspapers either.

    Dan: OK, so no access to any media. But 24 hours doesn't seem like a very longtime.

    Alice: No it doesn't, but some of the volunteers have found it really difficult, as youcan hear from one of the guinea pigs in the experiment.

    By the way, a guinea pig here is a strange term for describing someone whotakes part in a new experiment or test. They're usually little furry 1 animals, a bitlike short-eared rabbits, and make very nice pets. But in this case it meanssomeone who takes part in an experiment.

    This is one of the guinea pigs, Charlotte Gay:

    Extract 1: Charlotte GayIt’s been a real struggle to be honest, even here in the student union here, you have toliterally 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 contactwith the media. She said she had to shut down; basically just stop doinganything.

    Alice: Yeah, the media's everywhere, so not surprisingly Charlotte said it was reallydifficult.

    Dan: OK, but how has this media ban affected 2 the students' mental well-being 3,Alice?

    Alice: Well their mental well-being; you'd think 24 hours, how will they feel aboutthemselves and their emotional health? Well, Doctor Roman Gerodimos, is amedia lecturer at Bournemouth University. He helped with the experiment andhe here is describing some of the students’ symptoms:

    6 Minute English ? bbclearningenglish.com 2010Page 3 of 5Extract 2: Roman GerodimosThey are reporting withdrawal 4 symptoms, overeating, feeling nervous, feeling isolated 5,disconnected, they don’t know what to do with themselves all the time, just going roundtheir 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 thestudents.

    Alice: Yeah, Doctor Gerodimos said some students were overeating; they wereeating too much food. And they were also feeling nervous and isolated.

    Isolated means lonely or detached from other people. They also feltdisconnected, which is another word meaning detached or cut off.

    Dan: Let's have another listen to the clip.

    Extract 2: Roman GerodimosThey are reporting withdrawal symptoms, overeating, feeling nervous, feeling isolated,disconnected, they don’t know what to do with themselves all the time, just going roundtheir 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-termeffects?

    Alice: Long-term effects – changes that last for a long time. Well, the experiment hasonly just finished, so we don’t know the full findings yet. But let’s hear somethoughts from another student, Caroline Scott, and also afterwards the voice ofBBC correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones.

    Extract 3: Caroline Scott and Rory Cellan-JonesCaroline: 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, orsomething.

    Rory: As a nation we now spend half our waking hours using the media in some formand these young people can’t imagine being permanently 6 unplugged.

    Dan: So Caroline said it's nice to be separated from the media for two hoursmaximum, but after that she wanted her phone or the internet.

    6 Minute English ? bbclearningenglish.com 2010Page 4 of 5Alice: 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’timagine being ‘permanently unplugged’.

    Dan: Well, there's just time for a reminder 7 of some of the language we've comeacross today. Alice, could you help us out with those please.

    Alice: Of course; we had:

    media blackoutunpluggedguinea pigmental well-beingovereatingisolateddisconnectedlong-term effectswaking hoursDan: And our question of the week: How many active Facebook users are there inthe world? Is it:

    a) 300 millionb) 500 millionc) 800 millionAlice: Well I guessed 800 million.

    6 Minute English ? bbclearningenglish.com 2010Page 5 of 5Dan: Yeah, you're actually a bit too high with 800 million. 500 million users at thelast 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 MinuteEnglish. So thanks so much for joining us, and goodbye.

    Alice: Bye!