Living in a second world

The document is an excerpt/extract from a book entitled “American girls…”

written by Nancy Jo Sales in 2016. It deals with the feelings and experience
of American girls on social media.

a- When they use social media, girls feel anxious, stressed and sometimes
unhappy about missing an opportunity, an event or losing followers. It
reveals that they are addicted and cannot live without social media. They
suffer from “nomophobia” (=the fear to be separated from your phone)
However, they also feel delighted/happy and self-confident when they
receive “Likes” and have like-minded friends.
They are aware/ conscious that the world of social media is not
authentic.

b- The “second world” is a virtual world where people try to give a perfect
image of themselves and where things are constantly happening.

c-The benefits to being on social media are to make friends, gain self-
esteem, be more self-confident.

d-The disadvantages to being on social media are:

- addiction: the girls are constantly connected and cut off from the real
world.
- FOMO : Fear of Missing Out, they fear that something might happen
when they are not using their phone.
- narcissism: they are obsessed with their image.
- attention: they are constantly interrupted and have difficulty focusing

overuse (v.): trop utiliser

self-loathing : dégoût de soi (loathe= détester)
lose track: perdre la notion du temps
bite-tongue smile: a smile that makes you look more photogenic (sourire
photogénique)