In the past decade, the use of social media has grown in a way that no one could have guessed. It has turned some teenagers into celebrities (名人) and turned the famous into the infamous overnight.
A key feature of social media, however, is its volatility. Trends come and go, disappearing almost as quickly as they appeared. Short video apps such as TikTok took the world by storm. Why are these short videos — which are rarely longer than a few minutes — so popular? Jiang Yige, a Singapore — based analyst, has a theory. Short videos are “just right to fill in the little gaps in our busy schedules”, he told CNBC．These videos — apart from being very convenient — are important to teenagers because they allow them to express themselves, according to CNBC.
The sense of community that users of short video apps get is another appealing feature. Lisa Koshy, a user of TikTok, who has over 2 million followers, said that she was thrilled when anyone said that her video had “inspired” him. “It’s really cool...because I think as short video creators that’s what we all expect.” she added.
Live streaming is another feature of our social media life that now seems as natural as sunrise. It’s a pretty neat idea: You can watch anyone, anywhere, live.
However, the boom in social media may be having side effects too. Fake news is one serious problem it arguably causes. Material shared on these platforms is often not checked for accuracy. The most basic content can be false and can sway users one way or another. We use social media all the time; that doesn’t mean that we understand the influence it is having on us. We should be mindful of both the time we spend on it and its impact on our minds.
【小题1】The underlined word “volatility” in Paragraph 2 possibly means “being ________”．| A．changeable | B．steady | C．promising | D．violent |
| A．Because they are very convenient. |
| B．Because they help people kill time. |
| C．Because they allow people to express themselves. |
| D．Because they provide a sense of community. |
| A．The information from social media is highly reliable. |
| B．Short videos have been replaced by live streaming. |
| C．People can’t communicate with each other without social media. |
| D．There is still much room for social media to make improvement. |
| A．The Key Trends of Social Media | B．Short Videos Taking the World by Storm |
| C．The Influence of Social Media on Teenagers | D．Live Streaming: Tomorrow of Social Media |
