A1 Level – Elementary
1. What is your favorite social media app?
2. Do you watch much TV?
3. What is a common way to share a photo with friends?
4. What makes a news story important?
5. Do you think movies are a form of media?
6. What is the difference between a picture and a video?
7. Do you trust news from your phone?
8. What is the biggest TV company in your country?
9. Do you like listening to the radio?
10. What makes a song popular?
11. Do you think media is powerful?
12. What is a common way to find a book recommendation?
13. What makes a message go viral?
14. What are some different types of media?
15. Do you use social media when you are bored?
A2 Level – Pre-Intermediate
1. What are the key differences between traditional media (TV, newspapers) and social media?
2. Describe one time you saw a piece of misinformation spread quickly on social media.
3. What are the pros and cons of personalized news feeds based on your preferences?
4. What role does advertising revenue play in shaping the content of various media?
5. Have you ever consciously taken a break from all forms of digital media?
6. What kind of etiquette rules should people follow when commenting on online media?
7. What is the difference between media bias and a legitimate difference in opinion?
8. What are common techniques media outlets use to grab your attention (e.g., sensational headlines)?
9. How has the ability to easily record and share video changed citizen journalism?
10. What are the biggest challenges of managing children’s exposure to potentially harmful media?
11. What is the importance of teaching media literacy in schools?
12. Do you think media companies should be required to label content generated by AI?
13. What are the challenges of translating complex foreign media (e.g., documentaries) for a global audience?
14. What are the best ways to find diverse perspectives on a single news event?
15. What is the difference between consuming media and actively creating content?
B1 Level – Intermediate
1. Discuss the conflict between a media outlet’s financial need for clicks and its ethical duty to inform the public responsibly.
2. How can people learn to spot subtle media bias or propaganda in different news sources?
3. What are the ethical issues surrounding the use of “deepfake” technology in political or celebrity media?
4. Do you agree that social media has given too much power to individuals who lack professional journalistic training?
5. Describe a time when a major piece of media (book, film) significantly changed your understanding of a culture.
6. To what extent should governments regulate or restrict the use of foreign-owned media platforms?
7. What role do online influencers and content creators play in the modern media landscape?
8. How do cultural norms around privacy and public image affect how different media covers famous people?
9. Discuss the psychological phenomenon of the “echo chamber”—only seeing media that confirms your beliefs.
10. What are the challenges of ensuring all demographic groups have equal representation and voice in mainstream media?
11. How does the concept of “viral media” differ from traditional mass communication?
12. Should public funding prioritize investigative journalism or educational documentaries?
13. What is the difference between media that reports facts and media that creates emotional reactions?
14. Discuss the concept of “user fatigue”—feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of media available.
15. What is the long-term impact of constantly switching attention between different types of digital media?
B2 Level – Upper-Intermediate
1. How does the design of social media platforms intentionally maximize user time spent, potentially at the expense of mental health?
2. What are the ethical arguments about the immense amount of personal data collected and used by media platforms for targeting?
3. Should governments require social media companies to actively moderate or remove all forms of hate speech?
4. What are the psychological reasons why sensational, negative news often receives more attention than positive, complex stories?
5. How has the dominance of a few media conglomerates (e.g., Disney, Comcast) affected the diversity of content and perspectives?
6. Discuss the idea that media content is increasingly becoming a service (subscription) rather than a product (one-time purchase).
7. What is the role of algorithms in determining what content becomes popular or “trending” globally?
8. How do our perceptions of beauty, success, and reality become distorted by constant exposure to highly edited media?
9. What are the challenges of regulating media ownership to prevent political or corporate bias?
10. Discuss the concept of “media framing”—the subtle way a story is presented to influence its interpretation.
11. What is the difference between media censorship and responsible editorial filtering?
12. Should public news organizations be completely shielded from commercial advertising to ensure impartiality?
13. What is the impact of media representation (or lack thereof) on the self-esteem of minority groups?
14. How does the history of photography and film reflect the evolving ethical debates about media manipulation?
15. Discuss the idea that the audience is no longer the consumer of media, but the product being sold to advertisers.
C1 Level – Advanced
1. Analyze the socioeconomic factors that correlate with disparities in access to high-speed broadband and diverse, high-quality media.
2. To what degree should the legal system restrict the freedom of the press in cases involving national security or intelligence leaks?
3. Discuss the philosophical concept of “the simulacrum”—media representations that become more real than reality itself.
4. Evaluate the impact of new technologies (e.g., AR, VR) on the future of immersive storytelling and media consumption.
5. How does the strategic use of emotional triggers (fear, outrage) function to drive media revenue and engagement?
6. Examine the legal challenges of intellectual property in a world where content is constantly sampled, remixed, and shared.
7. What ethical guidelines should govern the use of AI in generating news articles, potentially reducing human editorial oversight?
8. Discuss the concept of “media fragmentation”—the breakdown of mass audiences into niche, self-selecting groups.
9. How do different national policies on data localization affect the global flow of media content and personal information?
10. Analyze the interplay between the financial wealth of media owners and the editorial independence of their newsrooms.
11. What ethical challenges arise when social media companies must moderate content that is legal in one country but illegal in another?
12. Debate whether the global dominance of Western media (e.g., Hollywood) constitutes a form of cultural imperialism.
13. How does the architecture of modern media headquarters (e.g., news studios) reflect the industry’s perceived power and authority?
14. Discuss the concept of “digital literacy” and why it has become an essential skill for democratic participation.
15. To what extent does the modern media environment foster greater political polarization rather than informed public debate?
C2 Level – Proficiency
1. How do you analyze the idea that media is fundamentally a technology of power that shapes the limits of what a society can know?
2. Formulate a critique of global regulatory bodies’ effectiveness in preventing cross-platform, coordinated disinformation campaigns.
3. Analyze the intersection of cognitive science, attention economics, and the intentional design of media to maximize psychological engagement.
4. Discuss the philosophical distinction between “information” (raw data) and “meaning” (contextual understanding) in media consumption.
5. Critically evaluate the effectiveness of media content ratings (e.g., age restrictions) in mitigating the exposure of minors to harmful content.
6. Propose a new, globally applicable legal framework for platform liability that balances free speech with accountability for harmful content.
7. Examine the psychological function of “flow” and immersion in narrative media and its impact on critical thought.
8. How does the semiotics of advertising (e.g., subtle brand placement) subconsciously influence consumer desire and behavior?
9. Discuss the ethical responsibilities of media outlets in ensuring that their historical reporting is accurately preserved and not altered.
10. Analyze the historical relationship between the development of new media technologies and cycles of political and social revolution.
11. Articulate the inherent tension between the speed required for breaking news and the requirement for deliberate, comprehensive fact-checking.
12. Debate whether the future of media will be dominated by personalized, algorithmic content or by shared, communal experiences.
13. Assess the long-term societal effects of chronic exposure to highly negative or fear-inducing media narratives.
14. Discuss the philosophical definition of ‘transparency’ in the context of news production and source disclosure.
15. How might the principles of media persuasion be used to model processes of complex institutional and political negotiation?
