Instagram Announces New Video App

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Materials Daily News

Intermediate

Exercise 1

Vocabulary

expansion

Noun

ɪkˈspænʃən

the action of becoming bigger, more successful, etc.

A major expansion of the oil industry is taking place in Africa.

The global economy is now going through a period of rapid expansion.

stand-alone

Adjective

ˈstænd əloʊn

not dependent on anything else; able to be operated on its own

This is a stand-alone expansion pack; you don't need the original game.

compete

Verb

kəmˈpiːt

to try to be better than another person, group, etc.

Due to the recent rise in steel prices, we can no longer compete with larger companies.

balloon

Verb

bəˈluːn

to suddenly increase in amount, size, etc.

What started out as a rumor ballooned into a full-blown scandal.

aspiring

Adjective

əˈspaɪərɪŋ

hoping to be successful in a particular job, activity, etc.

We have an aspiring film-maker from New Zealand on our team.

vertically

Adverb

ˈvəːtɪkli

with the top of something above the bottom

To use most social media sites, you need to hold your phone vertically.

Exercise 2

Article

AI Generated Audio––:–– / ––:––

Instagram Announces New Video App

Social media app Instagram has announced that it will be increasing its time limit for videos posted on its platform from one minute to 10 minutes, as part of an expansion of the app's video capabilities.

The photo-sharing app also announced it would be launching a stand-alone app called IGTV to host these longer videos.

The 10-minute videos will also be available through a tab in the original Instagram application. Accounts with large audiences will be able to post videos of up to an hour.

The update comes as Instagram, which Facebook bought in 2012 for $1 billion — is looking to compete with YouTube for young users.

Google bought YouTube in 2006 for $1.65 billion. Since then, the video-sharing website has ballooned to a user base of 1.8 billion, becoming a platform for aspiring content creators.

Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom told The Associated Press that he hoped his app would gain similar success with the IGTV update.

The IGTV app will function similar to television. Videos will begin playing as soon as the user opens the app and will fill the full-screen vertically — unlike YouTube, which requires users to turn their phones horizontally for full-screen capabilities.

Facebook also announced that it will be launching a series of interactive shows on its own video platform, Facebook Watch.

Exercise 3

Questions

How much did Facebook buy Instagram for?

How large is YouTube's user base?

What has Facebook announced?

Exercise 4

Discussion

What are your thoughts on Instagram's new video app?

Do you have an Instagram account? If so, what do you mainly use it for? If not, why not?

Do you like having your photo taken? If so, do you often post photos of yourself online? If not, why not?

What do you think makes YouTube so popular? Please explain your answer.

Have you ever used Facebook Watch? If so, how did you find it? If not, do you plan to?

Exercise 5

Further Discussion

Do you spend a lot of time watching videos on the internet? If so, what kind of videos do you enjoy the most? If not, why not?

Would you argue that people spend too much time on social media these days? Why? Why not?

What social media platforms do you think are most popular with teenagers in your country? Please explain your answer.

Have you ever posted a video on YouTube? If so, did it get many views? If not, why not?

It takes discipline not to let social media steal your time. - Alexis Ohanian. Do you agree with this statement? Why? Why not?

Exercises for Further Self-Study

These self-study exercises are optional and should be carried out after the lesson has finished.

Exercise 6

Sentence Building

Write at least one sentence for each of the words in Exercise 1: Vocabulary. Begin by making sure you understand the definition of each word. Use the example sentences as a guide if you are unable to think of a sentence. Practice reading your sentences out loud.

Exercise 7

Summary

Make a brief summary of the article. Focus on the main topic and consider which pieces of information are most important. Make sure you include details such as what the article is about, who is mentioned in it, where and when the events took place, and also how and why they happened.

Parts of this lesson are based on:

An article by Voice of America.