Shadowing Practice: How can we make the web a better place? 6 Minute English - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.
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6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.
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Hello.
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This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.
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I'm Neil.
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And I'm Sam.
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What's the matter, Neil?
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You sound upset.
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Well, I am Sam.
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I just spent an hour working on my computer when it suddenly froze.
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I lost everything and had to start all over again.
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Oh, that's so frustrating.
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Like pop-up internet ads and buffering videos that never play play.
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Modern computers and the internet have revolutionised the way we live today,
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bringing us the world with a click of a button.
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But not everyone feels happy about these technological developments.
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While potentially acting as a force for good and progress,
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the internet also provides a way of spreading hate and misinformation.
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And for some people, the World Wide Web remains a mysterious and confusing place.
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In this programme, we'll hear about a new academic subject called web science.
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Web science studies the technology behind the internet.
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But from the human side,
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it's also interested in how people interact with each other online.
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So we'll be asking whether studying web science could make the internet better for humanity in the future.
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But first, it's time for our quiz question.
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I wonder what the pioneers of the internet would think about how it is used today.
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So the question is, who invented the World Wide Web?
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Was it a Bill Gates,
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B Tim Berners-Lee or C Steve Jobs?
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Well, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were the brains behind Microsoft and Apple Mac,
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so I'm going to say C, Tim Berners-Lee.
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OK, Sam, we'll find out later.
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Now, because of coronavirus, the annual Web Science Conference was held online this year.
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Its theme was making the web human-centric.
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One of the conference's key speakers and co-founder of the new discipline of web science was Dame Wendy Hall.
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Here she is speaking to the BBC World Service's Digital Planet.
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People think about the web as a technology,
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but actually it's co-created by society.
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We put the content on,
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we interact with the technology,
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with the platforms, with the social media networks to create it.
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What we study is how that works as an ecosystem,
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this coming together of people and technology.
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And it's very interdisciplinary, very socio-technical.
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And of course, these days,
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a lot of it is powered by AI.
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Web science is not only interested in the technology side of the internet.
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As a subject, it's very interdisciplinary,
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involving two or more academic subjects or areas of knowledge.
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Web science combines digital technology with subjects ranging from psychology and robotics to economics and sociology.
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Exchanges between humans and the internet can be seen in social media networks – websites,
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apps and computer programmes like Facebook and Instagram,
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which allow people to use electronic devices to communicate and share information.
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This view of technology sees the internet as an ecosystem,
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a complex pattern of relationships and mutual influences that exists between all living things and their environment.
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One ongoing and topical example of websites helpfully interacting with humans is the Covid contact tracing app.
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You might think the mobile phone app,
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which tracks movements and contact between people to combat coronavirus,
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would be a useful, practical application of internet technology.
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But as Carly Kind, director of the Ada Lovelace Institute in Cambridge,
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explained to the BBC World Service's Digital Planet,
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things are never that straightforward.
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Actually, there's a lot of more fundamental questions that haven't been answered yet,
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such as, is Bluetooth even an adequate mechanism for doing what it says on the tin,
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which is detecting contact between two people?
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The trials so far show that it's not actually that great.
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And so do we know for sure that these apps work and they work in the way we want them to?
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Do we get the public health information that we need?
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Apps like this are designed to support public health,
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services to improve the standard of health of a country's general population.
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But Carly thinks the mechanisms used must be suitable
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and adequate they must actually work or do what it says on the tin.
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An informal idiom meaning work exactly as it is intended to.
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To find this out, trials,
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tests to discover how effective or suitable something is are carried out over a period of time.
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The kind of trials which were carried out during the invention of the internet in the first place, right Neil?
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Ah yes, the invention of the internet,
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or to be more accurate, the World Wide Web.
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In our quiz question, I asked you who invented the World Wide Web.
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What did you say, Sam?
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I said B, Tim Berners-Lee.
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Well, you're a first-class web scientist,
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Sam, because that is the correct answer.
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Ah, great.
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In this programme we've been hearing about web science,
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a new interdisciplinary subject combining several areas of study which investigates the ecosystem of the internet,
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the complex pattern of interconnections between humans and their environment.
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Social media networks, websites and apps like Facebook,
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which let people use electronic devices to communicate on the internet show how humans and technology can successfully interact.
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A new Covid contact tracing app is currently undergoing trials – tests to see if it works effectively.
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This will discover if it does what it says on the tin – works as it's supposed to.
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If successful, by alerting people to coronavirus risks,
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the app will support public health – services aimed at improving the health of the general population.
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And that's all from us for now.
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And we hope you'll join us again soon for more topical English vocabulary here at 6 Minute English.
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Bye for now.
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Bye-bye.

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Context & Background

In this engaging episode of 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English, hosts Neil and Sam delve into a pressing question: How can we make the web a better place? They discuss the dual nature of the internet, highlighting both its revolutionary benefits and the potential dangers it poses, such as the spread of misinformation and online hatred. The conversation is enriched by the introduction of a new academic subject called web science, which examines how humans interact with technology and each other. This intersection of technology and society is vital for making the web a more inclusive and beneficial environment for everyone.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • "What's the matter?" – A common way to inquire about someone's concerns.
  • "You sound upset." – A phrase to express empathy when noticing someone’s emotional state.
  • "That's so frustrating." – This captures the feeling of annoyance or disappointment, often used in casual dialogue.
  • "Acting as a force for good." – Referring to something that positively impacts society.
  • "Mysterious and confusing place." – Describing an environment (like the internet) that may be hard to understand.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To effectively use a shadowing app while engaging with this video, follow these simple steps for practice:

  1. Watch First: View the video once without interruption to get a general understanding of the content.
  2. Listen Actively: Play the video again, but this time focus on the dialogues. Pay attention to the pronunciation and intonation of the speakers.
  3. Shadow Speech: Use the shadow speech technique by repeating phrases immediately after you hear them. This helps improve your fluency and pronunciation.
  4. Pause and Replay: Don’t hesitate to pause and replay sections that are challenging. This allows you to practice difficult phrases multiple times.
  5. Dive into Vocabulary: Make a list of new or challenging words and phrases, like "human-centric" or "interdisciplinary," and practice them to enhance your English speaking practice.
  6. Repeat Daily: Consistent practice is key. Use your shadowing app daily to reinforce what you've learned and improve your confidence in using English in conversations.

Implementing this structured approach will not only help you learn English with YouTube but also provide you with valuable skills to navigate discussions about technology and social issues effectively.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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