Pre-reading questions:
- What social media sites do you use?
- Do you follow what is popular? Why or why not?
Vocabulary:
- hashtag /HASH-tag/
[noun] a general topic in social media sites like Twitter and Instagram
You should use a hashtag when posting on Facebook. - gain /geyn/
[verb] to get something
You need to gain some experience for this job. - miss out /mis out/
[phrasal verb] to not use or to not have an opportunity to experience something good
I don’t want to miss out on their first concert. - character /KAR-ik-ter/
[noun] a quality of a person or thing
Her bad character is the reason why she doesn’t have friends. - competitive /kuhm-PET-i-tiv/
[adjective] wanting very much to win or be more successful than other people
She’s sad about losing because she’s very competitive.
The famous Twitter and Instagram hashtag #FOMO first gained popularity in Singapore. It means “fear of missing out”. It came from the word “kiasu”. “Kia” means afraid and “su” means to lose. Kiasu describes the Singaporeans’ character of being competitive.
True or False:
- Kiasu means fear of losing in Singapore.
- Singaporeans are competitive.
- “Su” in “kiasu” means afraid.
- #FOMO means “fear of missing others.”
- #FOMO is used in social media sites.
Vocabulary Check:
Complete the sentences by using the words in the box.
| hashtag | gain | miss out | character | competitive |
- The most ________ team won the game last night.
- The ________ became very popular last night on Instagram.
- I ________ weight because I eat a lot of sweets.
- Honesty is a ________ that everyone should have.
- You don’t want to ________ on our promo.