S3 B1-B2 BE YOUR OWN ALGORITHM: MEDIA DIETS & PERSONAL CURRICULUMS

literary it-girl

a fashionable woman known for loving books and culture

genuine hunger for depth

a real and strong desire for serious ideas and meaning

self-optimization project

a personal plan to improve yourself in many areas

curated media diet

a carefully chosen mix of books, films, and online content

to lead the way

to be one of the first and show others how to act

to launch a Substack

to start a newsletter on the platform Substack

devoted social following

a group of very loyal and active online followers

to reframe sth

to change how sth is seen or understood

to embody sth

to clearly show or represent an idea or quality

deliberately unpolished

looking simple or imperfect on purpose

aspirational luxury

desirable and scarce things that people dream of having

pseudo-intellectualism

pretending to be very intellectual without real depth

to emerge

to appear or become known

to consume media

to read, watch, or listen to different content

to master a niche topic

to become very knowledgeable in a very specific subject

to reclaim focus

to take back your ability to pay attention

fragmented digital landscape

online world split into many separate parts

cognitive side effects of AI

changes in thinking and attention caused by AI use

shrinking attention span

ability to focus that worsening over time

reliance on outsourced thinking

dependance on sth or sb to think for you

to show off sth

to display sth proudly so others can see it

to signal taste

to show that you have certain likes and cultural knowledge

cultural currency

knowledge and tastes that give social status

to unpack a book on camera

to explain and discuss a book in detail on video

a shorthand for intelligence

a quick sign that suggests sb is intelligent

to follow newsletters

to subscribe to and regularly read online newsletters

obscure reference

a mention of sth that few people know

oversaturated with surface-level content

filled with too much simple content

streaming

playing music or video online without downloading

to offer personalized content

to give content that is chosen for sb

to wear off

to slowly lose effect or feeling

content crafted just for us

content made to match our preferences

to recycle the same ideas

to use the same ideas again and again

to surprise sb with a hidden gem

to show sb sth very good that is not well known

to pique sb’s curiosity

to make sb feel interested and Inquisitive

tailored suggestions

recommendations matched to sb’s tastes

AI-generated digital junk

low-quality online content made by AI

to crave sth more human

to strongly want sth that feels more real

to spoon-feed content to sb

to give sb content in a way that needs no effort from them

multi-faceted

having many different sides or qualities

beacon of hope

sth that gives a strong feeling of hope

discretion

the ability to choose carefully what to do or show

to handpick undiscovered artists

to carefully choose artists who are not well known yet

to throw together a decent playlist

to quickly make a nice playlist

to lack unpredictability

to be too easy to predict

to reshape the digital landscape

to change the online world

to flock to niche creators

to start following unusual or small creators

tastemaker

a person whose choices influence what others think is good

to break down obscure films

to explain difficult or little-known films

music aficionado

sb who knows a lot about and loves music

bland content

content that is boring or has no strong taste or feeling

elitist gatekeeper

a person who keeps control of what others can access and acts as if they are better

to drown in sameness

to feel lost in too many very similar things

to reinforce existing privilege

to make the advantages that some people already have even stronger

to cultivate / develop taste

to improve your sense of what you like

to have sth all at your fingertips

to always have easy access to sth

to seek out sth

to look for sth actively

pretentious

trying to seem more important or smarter than you are

to develop obsessions

to start having very strong, constant interests

to subscribe to trends

to follow and accept popular styles or ideas

to play it safe

to avoid risk and choose the safest option

to be above listening to electronic music

to feel too good or too smart to listen to electronic music

to engage deeply with art

to think carefully about art

to confuse taste with sth else

to mix up what you like with sth else

to resist the urge to do sth

to stop yourself from doing sth you want to

to carve out a hyper-specific niche

to create a very narrow and special area of interest for yourself

eclectic

including many different styles, ideas, or things

overwhelming

too strong or too much to handle

print magazines

magazines made on paper, not digital

goldmine

a place or source that has a lot of valuable things

to consume short-form media

to watch or read very short content

to listen to albums the whole way through

to listen to every song on an album in order

to pick up a book

to start reading a book

voracious reader

sb who reads a lot and very eagerly

to chase cultural validation

to look for approval from others for your tastes and interests

to craft a personal brand

to create a curated image of yourself

to shape your opinion

to influence how you think about sth

wholesome trend

a popular activity or style that is healthy and positive

to amplify sth

to make sth stronger or more noticeable

self-directed learning

learning that you plan and control yourself

to build / design a personal curriculum

to choose and arrange what you want to study for yourself, usually within a certain time frame

to pick a time frame

to choose a specific period of time for sth

academic

related to school, study, or education

to pick a subject

to choose a topic or area to study (for your curriculum), like they do in schools and universities

to lose a sense of awe

to stop feeling strong wonder or admiration

engaged with sth

actively interested and involved in sth

nourishing

giving support, strength, or growth (often for mind or body)

to have free will

to be able to choose what you do yourself

to do sth on your own terms

to do sth in the way that feels right for you

to dig into sth

to study or explore sth in a deep way

to spark curiosity

to make sb feel interested and want to know more

to set assignments

to give sb tasks or homework to do

accountability

the fact of being responsible for what you do and able to explain your actions and results

hijacked attention

attention that is taken and controlled by sth else

to have enough willpower

to have enough mental strength to control your actions

to be on your phone

to use your phone

to select resources

to choose materials like books, videos, or websites

to unplug

to stop using digital devices for a while