Please read the vocabulary lesson at your natural speed, though it should not be too fast so that I could hear what you speak naturally and imitate yours. Thank you.
We have been talking about a person who has influenced you and now I would like to ask you some more general questions relating to this topic.
EXPLAIN why so many people are influenced by celebrities
Nowadays we come into contact with celebrities much more than I think we did in the past. I do not mean actually physically meeting them but we know more about their lives. Famous people are in the newspapers daily and there are hundreds of women’s magazines such as Hello and OK where you can see what they are wearing and their houses. Then there is the internet which has exposed them to us even more. Facebook, My Space and now the increasingly popular Twitter means that we can find out what celebrities are doing on a minute by minute basis. If we compare this with the past and stars such as Cary Grant and Grace Kelly for example, we were not exposed to them in the same way. We would see them in films and maybe occasionally in newspapers when they had done something significant such as make a film whereas today we see pictures of them if they have got a new boyfriend or pair of shoes.
CONSIDER whether celebrities have an obligation to act as a role model to younger people
I think it really depends on what the celebrity is famous for. If they are a footballer or something like that then yes, I do think that it is important that they set an example. A couple of years ago a few of the England players got involved in a fight in a pub before an England game and I think it was irresponsible of them. They should be setting an example to young people – they are athletes and I was extremely disappointed to see them behaving like that in a pub. There was also the case of a children’s TV presenter a few years ago who was caught on camera using drugs. I think this is a very bad example to set for young people. If the celebrity is a rock star or an actor I do not think that it is as important to act as a role model.
DESCRIBE how advertising tries to influence people to buy things
Advertising executives are very clever so they do things such as placing their adverts for their products in places where they get exposure to the group they are targeting. For example, if you watch children’s television programmes you will see that between the programmes there are adverts for the latest toys, gadgets, trainers etc. The parents are then put under pressure from their offspring to buy these things. Additionally, advertisers use something called product placement, for example in films you might see the main character drinking coca cola and this makes people buy more of this product. Another thing that advertisers do to influence people is celebrity endorsement so for example if David Beckham advertises a particular product and says how wonderful it is then loads of people will want to buy it.
SUGGEST how parents can best influence their children
The best way to influence your children in my opinion is to be a positive role model to them. I have heard many parents criticising and admonishing their children for swearing and then in the next breath they are swearing themselves. Another thing to do is to not smoke or drink or drink in moderation. However, I do not agree with saying to children ‘you can’t do this or you can’t do that’, as that will make them rebel against it and they will want to do it more. I think the best thing to do is to have good communication with your children to ensure that if there is a problem they will come and speak to you about it rather than getting into a worse situation.
Thank you so much!