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Improving your English though social media.

 

Do you have a smartphone in your pocket, a table in your bag or a laptop waiting for you at home?  Do you enjoy using social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, Tic Toc, Youtube or Twitter?  Have you ever thought about using social media tools to practice and improve your English skills? 

Today, learning English involves much more than progressing, chapter by chapter through textbooks, doing tests, and putting what you learnt into practice. With the advent of the Internet and its attendant technology, hosts of options exist for improving your English skills. These options involve interacting with others online via social networks - communicating in order to learn about other cultures, have fun, and to learn English at the same time.

People are increasingly communicating online using on many, if not all of these diverse social sites. They enjoy the immediacy and convenience of chatting with other people, anywhere in the world, any time, any place, anywhere.

In this article, we will look at a few of the most popular social networking sites available to you for improving your English.

Twitter

Twitter is a social networking site that demands precision of expression. Why is that? It's because each post or "Tweet" you can make is limited to 140 characters. Therefore, your messages must be concise.

As a micro-blogging service, Twitter asks the question "What's happening?" With Twitter, you let others know what you're doing. You can immediately update others on the latest about you and your interests, and with only 140 characters available per message, you're forced to choose your words carefully and to convey your message clearly. This is excellent for improving your English as you eliminate unnecessary words. Like writing poetry, you choose the best words to communicate with. Twitter does not afford you the luxury of going on and on about a topic.


With Twitter, you send your Tweets to your followers, and you can follow other people who interest you and read their Tweets, which are also short. In this way, Twitter helps you improve your English reading skills as well. You can read a variety of short messages on a myriad of subjects. In this way, you learn new words, turns of phrase, and jargon, which all helps you build your English vocabulary.

Facebook

More than 2 billion people in the world have a Facebook account, but just in case you have just returned from a 10-year stint on the international space station, and you are unaware of what it is, Facebook is a social networking service whereby users can create a personal profile, add other users as friends, and exchange messages. This includes automatic notifications when they update their personal profile. Facebook users can also join common-interest user groups that they find useful.

In a nutshell, Facebook is an effective way for keeping in touch with others. You choose whom you allow to access your Facebook pages. You can post text, pictures, images, video, and music on your Facebook page. You can use a "Wall", which other members can use in order to text each other messages. In addition to text, messages can also contain photos, videos, music and links to other websites.

Again, this is an excellent way for building your English skills. You gain English writing experience through composing your various messages. You are not limited to 140 characters, and so you can be elaborate a bit more with your messaging.

Facebook also builds your English reading skills. You can read an assortment of messages from those whom you allow into your pages. This diversity of messages means you can learn new words from people all over the world, depending on your list of friends.

Some may write extended messages, giving you the opportunity to study their way with words, as well as their word choice. Facebook exposes you to a significant selection of writing (text) in which to build your English skills.

Another useful feature of Facebook is that it has many FanPage sites that are specifically for learning English with many of them dedicated to specific skills such as listening, literature, grammar, vocabulary etc, and by becoming a member of these sites, you will be able to connect 24 hours a day with like-minded learners from all around the world.

In addition, another extremely useful feature of Facebook is that you are able to have video calls which is a great way to connect with other learners on a more personal level.

Google Hangouts

Google has integrated hangouts with Gmail, this has potential as it allows you to put contacts, family, and friends into different categories. 

Zoom

Zoom is a cloud-based video communications app that allows you to set up virtual video and audio conferencing, webinars, live chats, screen-sharing, and other collaborative capabilities.

You don't need an account to attend a Zoom meeting, and the platform is compatible with Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android, meaning nearly anyone can access it.

Today, ZOOM is the most popular video-chatting app in the world, and an excellent tool for meeting and chatting with other English Language learners anywhere in the world, face to face in real-time.

Skype and Discord

Skype and Discord are computer software applications that allow users to make video and voice calls over the Internet. Calls to other users of these services are free. Calls to traditional landline phones and mobile phones involve paying a fee. This allows you to talk, and/or text and add videos. You can use these platforms on your computer, your smartphone, or even on your television depending on the model that you have.

When it comes to improving your English skills, platforms like these get you talking. Consequently, you converse, which is putting your English speaking and listening skills into action. Just as you do in-person, you chat and get your message across verbally. You use the English vocabulary you've built up – along with those new words and phrases that you've learned.

In addition, you listen, which means you learn English words and phrasing from others. Of course, you can text too, which lets you practice your English writing skills just as you do on other social networking sites, but the main strength of using Skype or Discord is using to speak or for video chats if you prefer. 

There are also teachers all around the world who conduct online English classes in these apps as well as in ZOOM ect.

LinkedIn

If Facebook and Twitter sound a bit frivolous, you might prefer LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a social networking site for professionals and is an excellent way to connect with other professionals, be it in business, academia, or other organizations. LinkedIn allows you to connect with others to find and share opportunities on a daily basis.

On LinkedIn you can build your business English skills through writing your profile, and then keeping it updated. You also build your business English skills through sending messages to others, reading their responses, and replying in kind.




YouTube

As everyone in the world knows, YouTube is a video-sharing website. Users upload, share and view videos on this social networking site. Learning English via YouTube involves listening to the language via the videos you view. You also learn through reading the comments posted in English, situated below each video. In addition, some YouTube videos are text presentations in a slide show format or have subtitles available, so you can actually read English in each screen shot.

If you're feeling extra brave you can even post your own video and become the next YouTube sensation. Tell people about your life, read some poetry, sing a song, showcase your talent. You can even create cartoon videos using the many different video-creating programs available on the internet.

In addition, today there are hundreds of Youtube channels created by English Teachers providing videos designed to help English language learners to learn every aspect of the language from grammar to vocabulary, from international exam preparation to listening. It is an excellent platform for learning or reinforcing your English.

Instagram

Instagram is a social networking site with a difference because you build contact with people by sharing photographs, and short videos. If you have a digital camera, you can share your life with an online community. Put up some pictures and find people who have taken photos of things you are interested in and leave a comment for them, or find groups on subjects you like to take pictures of. There are groups for countries, hobbies, animals ... just about anything you can think of.

Consider the above selection of social networking sites for improving your English. Try them all to find out which ones you're comfortable with, and which you feel are best suited to building your English language skills. Used wisely, social networking sites allow you to connect with others while developing those all-important communication skills you desire.

Good luck and good studying.

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Comments

  1. Lillian ColeApril 20, 2021 at 8:35 AM

    Fantastic post. Well written. Learning the different types of sentences also improves English skills.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sumit MishraApril 22, 2021 at 1:38 AM

    It's Really Nice idea to improve English Speaking Skills. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

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