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Brave new influencers

T PRE-CLASS ACTIVITIES
1. Match the statements with the aspects they exemplify.
A. Haven’t you been following the news? 3
B. They’ve moved out. 1
C. I’ll be fixing that tomorrow. 2
1. perfect (have + past participle): refers to
an action or a state occurring before or
lasting up to a certain point in time
2. continuous (be + -ing): refers to an action
which is viewed as being in progress or as
temporary
3. perfect continuous (have + been + -ing):
refers to an action happening over time
before another action or up until now

2. For each statement, answer the question(s) and then choose the most suitable verb form. Use the
explanations in ex. 1 if necessary.
EXAMPLE: Don’t worry. He _____ the project by the end of the day.
1. ‘s finishing 2. ‘ll have finished 3. ‘s finished
What two points in time does the statement refer to? The moment he finishes
the project and the end of the day (which is in the future).

A. I was excited to get the job in Canada because I _____ about moving there for a while.
1. ‘d been thinking 2. ‘ve thought 3. ‘ve been thinking
Does the speaker highlight that the action of ‘thinking’ was in progress or that it resulted in
something? They highlight that the action was in progress.
B. More and more people _____ the value of sustainable living practices, which has given me hope
for a better future.
1. have recognized 2. will be recognizing 3. are recognizing
Is the situation developing? How do you know? Yes, the phrase ‘more and more’ points to that.
C. Hi Audrey! It’s really good to see you. I ______ about you the other day.
1. ‘ve been thinking 2. was thinking 3. ‘ve thought
Is the act of thinking linked to now? No, the person was thinking the other day.
D. I ______ together a presentation first thing in the morning but I can’t promise I’ll succeed.
1. ‘ll be putting 2. ’ll put 3. ‘ll have put
Does the speaker focus on the result or the action of putting together a presentation? The action.
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Brave new influencers

E. I didn’t know who the new manager was because I _____ a month earlier.
1. ‘d been quitting 2. have quit 3. had quit
What two points in time does the statement refer to? Which one came first? The moment the
person quit and the moment they didn’t know who the manager was. The moment of quitting
came first.
F. The team _____ a record number of goals this season: 76 and counting!
1. have scored 2. have been scoring 3. are scoring
Which is more important for the speaker: the number of goals or the action of scoring them? The
number of goals.

3. Decide if the verb form in bold is correct. If it is incorrect, correct it.

A. I’d thought about your idea but I’m still not sure if I want to do it. ‘ve been thinking, ‘ve thought
B. I decided to call you when I realized I’d forgotten to unplug the iron. correct
C. He’s been receiving a certificate of recognition for his outstanding achievements. ‘s received
D. I’ll be studying so please don’t call me because I don’t want any interruptions. correct
E. I am scrolling social media all day but I’ve found nothing. have been scrolling
F. She has been silly when she tried to convince everyone that the cat wearing a top hat would look
sophisticated. was being

T IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES
4. Choose two platforms below and name three things a creator needs to do to be popular on them.

5. Choose the correct verb forms.

A. Lately, I‘m/’ve been enjoying the content of this one account which…
B. The reason so many people are considering/have considered being an influencer at least once in
their life is that…

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Brave new influencers

C. It’s hard to predict whether a novice influencer will ever have struck/be striking lucrative deals
because…
D. Not many influencers have been/are being able to impact my purchasing decisions but…
E. Before social media became an integral part of many people’s lives, the role of today’s influencers
had/has been played by…
F. An increasing number of content creators have realized/are realizing that…

6. Complete three statements in ex. 5 with your own ideas. Then, share some details with a partner.

7. Complete the gaps with the words in the boxes to create collocations with the words in bold. Use
each word in the box only once.

earned gained maintained monetized stayed tailored

A. an influencer who has stayed relevant by using more and more ridiculous ideas for videos
B. an influencer who has gained credibility by acting as a company public representative
C. an influencer who has monetized all social media platforms in less than six months
D. an influencer who has earned a reputation as someone who is concerned with social issues
E. an influencer who has maintained their online media presence by using novel ideas like taking
part in virtual events and recording their own songs
F. an influencer who is successful because they tailored their content to a very specific audience
After students have finished the task, ask them if they know any influencers who fit the descriptions
in the activity and encourage them to share some details.
You can also ask students to answer the following questions using the collocations (see possible
answers in brackets): What should an Instagram influencer do when they start working on TikTok or a
different platform? (They should tailor the content to the platform, e.g. adjust formats, respond to
the new audience’s expectations.), What is the reason influencers collaborate with brands? (To
T
monetize social media platforms.), Why do some influencers only collaborate with brands whose
products they use and trust? (Because they want to earn a reputation as someone who is authentic
and not a sell-out.), Why do most influencers keep up with the trends? (Because that is how they stay
relevant.), Why is high-quality content a priority for new influencers? (Because they want to gain
credibility among users.), What do many companies do to earn the trust of more customers? (They
maintain their online media presence.)

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Brave new influencers

8. Watch a video [https://youtu.be/EYjzrP7Ci_0] about social media influencers and tick the
descriptions in ex. 7 that the video mentions.
B 01:11; D. 02:02; E. 00:48
After they have watched the video, ask students if they have heard of the influencers in the video or
T
know any other examples of AI influencers.
9. Choose three opinions and respond to each. Then, share your response with a partner and ask what
they think.
• I don’t think the topic of AI influencers is significant enough
to be featured in the news. It’s just a silly social media trend.
• People deserve to know if someone they follow is real or not.
If an influencer is AI-generated, social media platforms
should add that info to the account description.
• It doesn’t matter if influencers are real people or not. You’re
not likely to meet any of them in person anyway, and even if
you did, it would still be the online persona, not their
authentic self.
• Social media is supposed to be entertaining so if AI can come up with content that is not generic
but unique, funny or otherwise engaging, I’m happy to follow that account.
• AI influencers are likely to perpetuate even more unrealistic beauty standards and promote
excessive consumerism more than their human counterparts.
• It might sound rough, but influencers are just a marketing tool and they will be replaced by their
cheaper virtual counterparts sooner rather than later.
• People are more relatable than AI-generated personas so I think human influencers are here to
stay.
10. Read the texts and the questions and complete the gaps with the correct forms of the verbs in
brackets.
Artificial is the new sexy

AI modelling agencies might be the future of social media marketing.

The virtual influencers they create are ready to cater to all needs. The
companies who are looking/have been looking (look) for influencers to
promote their products should look no further.

Are you wondering (wonder, you) how striking a deal with an AI

influencer might help your brand? Your AI influencer will have a more

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Brave new influencers

diverse audience and wider reach than human influencers. They will also
be completely predictable and under control, unlike humans. And most
importantly, they will be much cheaper.

• Will AI influencers earn a reputation as trustworthy information sources or brand ambassadors?

Why/Why not?
• Will the content AI influencers create be generic or tailored to specific audiences? Consider what
advantages both approaches might have for companies.
• Why would or wouldn’t you agree with the following statement: “By the time human influencers
realize the gravity of the situation, virtual influencers will have dominated (dominate) the
market.”?
• If AI influencers dominate the market, will monetizing social media become easier or more
difficult?

Caryn who takes your loneliness away

Social media influencers often go to great lengths to stay relevant but

Caryn Marjorie might be something else. The Snapchat influencer has
created (create) an AI chatbot named CarynAI whose purpose is to “help
combat loneliness” among Caryn’s followers.

The chatbot allows for personalized conversations with the AI version of

Marjorie (her ‘digital clone’). The initiative generated a revenue of over
$70,000 within the first week. But it has also raised ethical concerns
about companion chatbots. Will you be talking/Will you talk (talk) to
CarynAI soon?

Source: NBC NEWS

• How likely is the idea of ‘digital clones’ to catch on?

• What are some of the ethical concerns companion chatbots raise?
• Do you think that CarynAI will gain/will be gaining (gain) credibility over time? Why/Why not?
• How else might influencers use AI to maintain their online presence?

11. Discuss the questions in ex. 10.

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Brave new influencers

This worksheet includes an additional task that you can use as homework or revision. It’s only
T available in the teacher’s version of the worksheet. The task with the answer key is below, while the
students’ version is on the last page. Print it and hand it out to your students.

Complete the gaps with the verbs in brackets in the correct forms (using the perfect, continuous or
perfect continuous aspect) to create influencers’ comments. Then, react to two comments like a
follower might. In your responses, use the phrases in the box.
EXAMPLE: I can’t get enough of this smoothie! I’ve been making (make) it every morning
for the last two weeks.
I understand people will do anything to maintain their social media presence,
but I really don’t care what they have for breakfast.

A. Thanks to my amazing followers for the words of encouragement! Next stop: the most amazing
studio where I will be getting (get) a face tattoo!
Possible answer: People will do anything to stay relevant, won’t they?
B. I know you have been waiting (wait) for me to start the
earn a reputation as
live for an hour now but please be patient!
gain credibility
Possible answer: The person might earn a reputation as
someone who is disrespectful of their followers. maintain social media presence

C. Last week, I got a lot of feedback from you. Since then, I monetize an account
have created (create) three new reels which people have stay relevant
loved! Thank you!
tailor content
Possible answer: I understand they want to tailor the
content to their audience, but they should remember to stay authentic in what they create.
D. More and more of you are following (follow) my account, which keeps me very motivated.
Possible answer: It looks like they will soon start monetizing their account.
E. I was looking/’d been looking (look) for new challenges and I decided to collaborate with these
two amazing influencers.
Possible answer: It’s probably a good way to gain credibility among users.
F. Some say I lost followers because I’d got (get) too political in my comments. But I can’t stay quiet!
Possible answer: I suppose being ‘too political’ can help you maintain social media presence
nowadays rather than drive users away.

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Brave new influencers

Complete the gaps with the verbs in brackets in the correct forms (using the perfect, continuous or
perfect continuous aspect) to create influencers’ comments. Then, react to two comments like a
follower might. In your responses, use the phrases in the box.
EXAMPLE: I can’t get enough of this smoothie! I’ve been making (make) it every morning
for the last two weeks.
I understand people will do anything to maintain their social media presence,
but I really don’t care what they have for breakfast.

A. Thanks to my amazing followers for the words of encouragement! Next stop: the most amazing
studio where I ___________ (get) a face tattoo!
B. I know you ___________ (wait) for me to start the live for
an hour now but please be patient! earn a reputation as

C. Last week, I got a lot of feedback from you. Since then, I gain credibility
___________ (create) three new reels which people have maintain social media presence
loved! Thank you!
monetize an account
D. More and more of you ___________ (follow) my account,
stay relevant
which keeps me very motivated.
tailor content
E. I ___________ (look) for new challenges and I decided to
collaborate with these two amazing influencers.
F. Some say I lost followers because I ___________ (get) too political in my comments. But I can’t
stay quiet!

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