The image you uploaded seems to portray a figure controlled by strings, symbolizing manipulation, likely in the context of social media.
📋 Exam Question
Read the material below.
Using all the provided material, write a personal response where you reflect on the role of social media in raising young people’s awareness of important topics of debate.
Recommended length for task 2 is approximately 175–300 words.
Text A:
Text B:
Among adults, those aged 18 to 29 are most likely to say they regularly get news on TikTok. About a third of Americans in this age group (32%) say they regularly get news there, a higher share than in years before. This compares with 15% of those aged 30 to 49, 7% of those 50 to 64 and just 3% of those 65 and older.
More of TikTok’s U.S. adult users are getting news there as well. Currently, 43% of TikTok users say they regularly get news on the site, up from 33% who said the same in 2022. TikTok users are now just as likely to get news from TikTok as Facebook users are to get news from Facebook. Still, TikTok users are less likely than users of X, formerly Twitter, to get news on the site.
- Excerpt, adapted for this exam by Udir
Text C:
In 2023, Associate Professor Jess McLean at McQuarie University in Sydney, Australia, conducted a study of teenagers' use of the social media platform TikTok. Below are comments she made on this study:
“To be exposed to [stories of injustice and entertainment] alongside each other is something that TikTok enables in a very constructive way,” she says.
“Also, the length of the TikTok [video] makes it really appealing to children and young people. They can engage with many different viewpoints quite quickly, in a way that centres entertainment, rather than more flat forms of communication that might be more text-based.”
- Excerpt, adapted for this exam by Udir
References:
Text A: Illustration vector. Beware the strings attached to social media and smartphone use. VAZZEN/Shutterstock.com. https://theconversation.com/remember-youre-being-manipulated-on-social-media-4-essential-reads-106742
Text B: Matsa, K.E. (2023, 15 November). More Americans are getting news on TikTok, bucking the trend seen on most other social media sites. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/11/15/more-americans-are-getting-news-on-tiktok-bucking-the-trend-seen-on-most-other-social-media-sites/
Text C: Conville, N. (2023, 12 July) The surprising benefits of TikTok for teenagers. The Lighthouse. https://lighthouse.mq.edu.au/article/july-2023/the-surprising-benefits-of-tiktok-for-teenagers
✏️ Model Answer
The image you uploaded seems to portray a figure controlled by strings, symbolizing manipulation, likely in the context of social media. This image connects with the broader topic of how social media can influence and shape the behavior of its users, particularly young people. Reflecting on the role of social media in raising awareness, we can see both positive and negative impacts. …