Social media’s aesthetic norms are shaping how Ukrainians document the Russian invasion. Is it a new form of citizen war journalism or just an invitation to keep clicking?
Read the first 6 paragraphs of the article watching-the-worlds-first-tiktok-war and decide if the sentences below are True or False?
1. The photo taken by the photojournalist Tyler Hicks portrays a dead soldier lying with his arms and legs spread out.
2. The song Little Dark Age is appropriate in this context.
3. The aesthetic norms of TikTok are described as uneven in style or quality or characterized by poorly related parts.
4. According to the article, Ukrainians use their mobile cameras to register the invasion in great detail.
5. One of the videos showed a Ukrainian man who moved a mine off of a road in a reckless manner.
6. In his speech on February 24th, the Ukrainian President pleaded Russian TikTok users to protest against the war.
7. The owner of Internet-famous cat named Stepan has gathered a million followers as he’s been posting photos of missile attacks.
Key: 1T; 2F; 3T; 4T; 5F; 6T; 7F
Glossary
- incongruity – the incongruity of something is its strangeness when considered together with other aspects of a situation
- choppy – disconnected; jerky (quick and sudden, not smooth)
- to be geared towards – to be organized or designed in order to achieve some purpose
- granular – finely detailed
- gingerly – very cautiously and carefully
- to implore – to beg urgently as for aid or mercy
- denizen – a person that lives in or is often in a particular place
- tinge – a slight but appreciable amount
- voyerism – the activity of getting pleasure from watching other people’s private lives
- carnage – the killing of a large number of people
- scattershot – involving a lot of things or people in a way that has no organized plan
- purport – to claim to do or be that thing, although you may not always believe that claim
Practice Makes Perfect
Read the article: The No. 1 Leadership Lesson From Ukraine’s Incredibly Courageous President (leadership-ukraine-volodymyr-zelensky) and answer the questions:
- Why was the author of the article surprised by Ukrainian president’s words?
- Would most of us be as brave as the president, according to the author?
- What kind of opinions is the internet full of?
- What kind of leaders are the most alluring?
- What’s the role of leaders and what qualities are essential for that purpose in the author’s opinion?
- What’s the message in the sentence: ”(…)Zelensky (…) knows what his people need and is trying to give it to them against incredible odds”?
Discuss
- Would you agree that social media may in some cases be the most reliable source there is?
- Would you like to work as a war correspondent?
- Aeschylus said: “In war, truth is the first casualty.” Do you agree?
- What would you do today if a war broke out in your country tomorrow?
Explore it more to create your own teaching-learning experience!
The Ukrainian Exodus at the Polish Border
The Russian invasion has forced hundreds of thousands to flee—while others are returning from across Europe to fight.
Read:
https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/the-ukrainian-exodus-at-the-polish-border
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