Debate preparation template

First speaker guide

Topic
Speakers’ names

Speaker’s position (Affirmative/Negative)

Greeting and Introduction
Good afternoon everyone, today we meet to hold a debate about,

Are social networking sites useful or harmful to people?

Outline your team's case:
a) Your points:
I will be speaking about the negative aspects of the social networks

● Are the main source of fake news.

● They affect person-to-person communication.

● Affect job performance.

b) Second speaker's points:
Our second speaker will be talking about the positives aspects of the social networks

● Allows you to share information quickly

● Create new social connections

● Help people with their daily tasks

Your First Point
My first point is, Are the main source of fake news.

The document, ‘The order of global disinformation: inventory of manipulation organized

by social networks 2019’, reveals that in 70 countries there is evidence of organized
manipulation of campaigns in social networks, while in 2018 there were only 48 and in
2017 there were 28.

Here you can see the result of the study.

“https://www.larepublica.co/economia/en-colombia-se-desinforma-por-whatsapp-y-
facebook-revela-estudio-de-oxford-2914148”

Your Second Point

My second point is, The social networks they affect person-to-person communication.

New research from Kaspersky Lab shows that a third of people communicate less and
less face-to-face with their loved ones, while 21% of parents admit that relationships
with their children have been damaged as a result of being seen in a compromising
situation in social networks.

Relationships with family, friends, and colleagues are changing as people communicate
less face-to-face, as a result of social media. A significant third of people admitted that
they now communicate less in person with their parents (31%), children (33%), partners
(23%) and friends (35%) because they can see and communicate with them through
social networks.

“https://acis.org.co/portal/content/kaspersky-lab-las-redes-sociales-afectan-y-hasta-
reemplazan-la-comunicaci%C3%B3n-con-amigos-y”

Your Third Point

 My third point is, The social networks affect job performance

Every hour invested in social networks by a person dependent on the apps is equivalent
to a loss of productivity of 13% per day. This is revealed by a report carried out by the
analytical firm Sinnetic, which concludes that in Colombia the mobile internet is not
used as a productivity mechanism but for leisure.

The study, which was carried out over two years and which analyzed the interaction of
1,275 Colombians with the applications installed on their devices, shows that the loss of
competitiveness is due to the failure to take advantage of technological resources.

"The research showed that the problems of loss of competitiveness that countries like
Colombia have not only derive from government and economic policies, but from
wasting technological advances in favor of the aggregate productivity of nations," said
Gabriel Contreras, CEO of Sinnetic, in a statement.

“https://www.eltiempo.com/tecnosfera/novedades-tecnologia/estudio-dice-que-redes-
sociales-afectan-la-eficiencia-de-los-humanos-49671”
Closing statement
In conclusion, social networks are not useful in people's lives, they were created with a
purpose and people have given them the use that is not aligned with the purpose that
they were created, therefore the person must first be educated before the use of them.

Second speaker guide

Speaker’s position (Affirmative/Negative)

Expressing disagreement with first speaker’s arguments

I do not agree with your point of view, although I respect it, on the contrary, for me social
networks are useful and necessary for the development of society, besides that they are
a fundamental tool for development as a person, with them the language barriers, it is
easy to speak with people from all over the world and it is possible to establish faster
communication channels.

Briefly State the Points You Will Make

Today I will be talking about the positive points of social networks:

● Allows you to share information quickly

● Create new social connections

● Help people with their daily tasks

Your First Point
My first point is, The social networks allows you to share information quickly

A fascinating study by the New York Times Consumer Insight Group shows the
motivations participants cited for sharing information on social media. These include a
desire to reveal valuable and entertaining content to others; define themselves; to grow
and nurture relationships and to spread the word about brands and causes they like or
support.
These factors have caused social networks to go from being a useful means of keeping in
touch with friends and family to being used in ways that have a real impact on society.

Social media is being used in ways that shape politics, business, world culture, education,
careers, innovation, and more.
Your Second Point
My second point is, The social networks Create new social connections.

Almost a quarter of the world's population is now on Facebook. In the United States,
almost 80% of all Internet users are on this platform. Because social media thrives on
interactions between people, they become more powerful as they grow older.

Thanks to the Internet, people from minority groups can see that they are not alone. And
when these people meet each other through social media, they can do things: create
memes, posts, and entire online worlds that reinforce their worldview, and then break
into the mainstream.

Your Third Point

My third point is, The social networks help people with their daily tasks.

The social networks has had a profound effect on recruiting and hiring. 19 percent of
hiring managers make their hiring decisions based on information found on social media.
According to the 2016 CareerBuilder Social Media Recruitment Survey, 60 percent of
employers use social media sites to search for candidates. Professional social networks
like LinkedIn are important platforms for anyone looking to excel in their profession. They
allow people to create and market a personal brand.

A 2013 survey by Pearson Learning Solutions reported a significant increase in the use of
social media in learning. More than half of the educators interviewed agreed that social
sharing fosters interaction, providing an environment that fosters learning.

Closing statement
In conclusion, I can define social networks as the essential element in the academic, social
and work development of people today, since they allow interaction between users, send
and receive information in real time, as well as being easily accessible in everything the
world.