The great friendship collapse: Inside The Anti-Social Century | Derek Thompson

This is a list of key vocabulary and expressions from the video in order of how useful they are.  The student must choose 6 items from the list to study in the lesson.

Might

Rather than

To trick (someone)

Consequence

Roughly

To fix (something)

To treat

To sew

It’s worth (doing) something

Debate

Narrow

If someone told you that you had an extra 300 hours added to your waking consciousness in the next 12 months, what would you do with it?

To hang out (somewhere/ with someone)

To point (something) out

Urge

Through the roof

To turn out

So-called

Loneliness

Decline

Creepy

To flick through (something)

A survey

Sheer

Threshold

15 conversation-provoking questions related to the article.

1.    What does the ‘American Time Use Survey’ tell us, and how is this related to TVs and smartphones?

2.    What was said about ‘The Anti-Social Century’, and ‘Cancel-Ation’?

3.    According to the video, is AI replacing friendship?

4.    According to the video, what is the antidote?

5.    Do you agree with this antidote, or do you have a better one?

6.    Is it really so bad that people are spending more time alone? It may be preferable for many people.

7.    Do the young people you know socialise in a different way to how you used to?

8.    Do you ever experience ‘Cancel-Ation’?

9.    How often and when do you use AI?

10. Have you ever experienced loneliness?

11. Would you like to live like the Amish?

12. If you had 300 extra hours of leisure time, what would you do?

13. Do you have enough leisure time?

14. How sociable are you?

15. Do you prefer to socialise in big groups or small groups?