INFLUENCERS: WISH STRUCTURES

Watch the video “Inside the business of being a social media influencer” by ABCNews.

WARM UP
Which of the following people do you think have the biggest influence? Explain.

1. Kim Kardashian

2. Novak Djokovic

3. Elon Musk

4. Warren Buffett

5. David Beckham

INFLUENCER VOCABULARY

Task 1: Complete the sentences with words from the box.

followers engagement hashtags viral influencer

1. I always use ___________ on my social media posts so that they reach more people.

2. To be an influencer, it is really important that your content has a lot of ___________.

3. It is important to have a lot of ___________ on Instagram.

4. I have bought a product after seeing an ___________ promote it online.

5. Whether a video goes __________ or not is completely random. There is no strategy.

Task 2: Say if you agree or disagree with the statement. Explain your reasoning.

ESL Pals 1 General English

 VIDEO: LISTENING EXERCISE
Task 1: Answer the following questions based on the video.

1. What was the reason behind Mariela's decision to start making YouTube videos?

2. Would you ever consider following in her footsteps?

3. How much does Mariela roughly get paid per post?

4. Do you think influencers make too much money?

5. What makes Mariela's account unique?

6. Do influencers need to offer something unique in order to be successful?

7. How many followers does someone need to be considered an influencer?

8. How do influencers use fake followers to make money?

9. Are all influencers involved in the fashion and beauty industry?

10. Do you follow influencers from other industries?

11. Why were people upset with the influencer Britney Don?

12. As a class, discuss the dark side of influencer culture.

Task 2: Discuss and debate the following controversial statements.

● Influencers exploit their followers' trust for personal gain.

● Influencer culture perpetuates unrealistic beauty standards and body image

issues.

● Influencers often promote unsustainable and wasteful consumption habits.

● The influencer culture encourages a narcissistic and self-obsessed mindset.

● Many influencers exploit social issues for personal gain, engaging in performative
activism.

Task 3: Have influencers had any positive impact on society and culture? Discuss.

ESL Pals 2 General English

 WISH STRUCTURES
Read the theory about wish structures and then complete the exercises that follow.

Wishes about the present or future Wishes about the past

To talk about something in the To talk about regrets in the past or things
present or future that you would like that you would like to be different in the
Use
to be different. Usually it is past. These are things that have already
something unlikely. happened.

Structure wish + that + past simple wish + that + past perfect

● They wish that they had studied

● I wish that I won the lottery. harder at university.
● She wishes that she had a dog. ● I wish that the flights hadn’t been
Examples
● They wish that they could travel. cancelled.
● We wish that we lived in Greece. ● She wishes that she had invested
her money in stocks.

Task 1: Answer the following questions.

1. Do you wish social media had never been invented?

2. Do you wish that people spent less time on social media?
3. Do you wish that people didn’t idolise celebrities and influencers?
4. Do you wish that you were an influencer?
5. Do you wish that you worked in a modern job like vlogging / gaming or influencing?

Task 2: Make wishes about the topics in the box.

veganism climate change social media series travel

money government education taxes sport

ESL Pals 3 General English

 INFLUENCER MARKETING
Read the article and assign a title for each paragraph from the box.

Cultural conformity Social influence

Power and control Personal connection

Ten years ago, the term "influencer c. _________________________. Influencer

marketing" didn’t exist. Today, the industry marketing taps into the social influence
is booming and big brands are paying complex by capitalising on influencers being
attention. Still, most people don’t positioned as experts or gurus within their
understand what makes influencer vertical. This is a new seat at the table in
marketing work so well. our culture, where a relatively new type of
audience opts into viewership more
a. ____________________________. Human
intentionally than ever. So if you're
beings are social creatures that are
following an influencer based on trust, it's
programmed to connect deeply with those
likely that you believe they have accurate
in our "pack." With this connectivity comes
information.
an intense expectation to be similar to the
pack, or perhaps better said, to "keep up d. _____________________________. Many
with the Joneses" (or maybe even the influencers have mastered the art of
Kardashians). For consumers who consider creating a meaningful connection with their
the influencers they follow to be a part of audience. Intimate photos and videos give
their pack, many feel an obligation to keep viewers a lens into the true life of
up with their activities. And because influencers, which can make followers feel
influencers we initially see as credible in personally connected. Influencers regularly
one area eventually become credible in address their audience directly and with this
other areas, so it's easy for followers to see glimpse of direct interactions with the
every piece of content as something that influencer, a follower can feel a deep sense
they're obligated to tune into. So we watch, of connection to the influencer. This
engage and celebrate with the creator personal connection means that people
because we’re culturally programmed to could prioritise and trust influencers at
care. levels that mirror real friends. Influencer
marketing is effective because it capitalises
b. ___________________________. Humans
on our most natural tendencies, emotions
have an innate survival instinct, which leads
and desires. Influencer marketing is
us to crave a base level of power and
word-of-mouth at scale, where people
control. As long as we stay in control, we
listen to those they trust and those who can
believe we will survive. In the context of
use storytelling effectively. The digital
influencers, we elect to see content by
world has found a way to tap into personal
following or subscribing to influencers
connections. Due to these human
we're interested in. In other words, we have
connections, I think it's safe to say that
full control over who we follow and the
influencer marketing is not leaving the
content we consume, which can make us
marketing mix anytime soon.
feel a sense of power.

ESL Pals 4 General English

Task 1: Find a word that means… Note: Paragraphs do not align with numbering.

1. Having a period of success and rapid economic growth (paragraph 1).

2. A strong belief that something will happen (paragraph 2).

3. Inborn or natural (paragraph 4).

4. Deliberately or on purpose (paragraph 6).

5. Treating something as being the most important (paragraph 7).

6. To gain an advantage, usually money, from something (paragraph 8).

Task 2: Answer the following questions.

1. Why do you think influencer marketing can work so well?

2. What does the expression "keep up with the Joneses" mean?

3. How does influencer marketing take advantage of humans' need to connect?

4. Do you believe you have full control over the content you see on social media?

5. Do you think it is easy to start believing everything that an influencer says?

6. How can influencers personally connect with their audience?

7. What will influencer marketing look like in the future?

8. Do you have a favourite influencer? Why do you like them?

9. Do you think influencers are here to stay, or will the job become obsolete?

ESL Pals 5 General English

 IDIOMS
Complete the idioms with a word from the box. Then, match them to their meanings.

riches spoon butter cover

1. Born with a silver ______________ in one’s mouth.

2. Bread and ______________.
3. From rags to ______________.
4. To judge a book by its ______________.

Meanings:

a. To be born into a very wealthy family.

b. Used to describe when someone comes from poverty and becomes rich.
c. A person’s livelihood and main source of income.
d. To judge something / someone solely on their appearance.

Task 2: Practise using the idioms by discussing the following questions as a class.

1. Do you know anyone who was born with a silver spoon in their mouth?

2. What is your bread and butter?

3. Do you know of any influencers who have a rags to riches story?

4. Do you think it is wise to judge a book by its cover? Explain.

Task 3: Write a sentence using each idiom that describes your own experience. Take a
few minutes to prepare, then share your sentences with the class.

ESL Pals 6 General English

 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Discuss the following questions as a class.

1. Do you think that social media has created a lot of job opportunities?

2. Do you follow any influencers? What do they promote?

3. Do you think it is dangerous for people to have so much influence?

4. Why do some brands pay influencers so much money?

5. Is it convenient to see products promoted by influencers?

6. Do you think being an influencer is an easy job?

7. Would you like to be an influencer? Why / Why not?

8. Have you ever followed an influencer online to win a giveaway?

9. How can brands ensure that influencers don’t have fake followers?

10. Would you use influencers as a marketing tool for your business? Why / Why not?

QUOTES
Discuss the quotes related to today’s topic, use the questions to guide your answer.

1. Discuss the meaning of each quote.

2. To what extent do you agree / disagree with each quote?

Quotes:

"Social media marketing is not an option anymore, it's a necessity for businesses to
thrive in the digital age."

"Social media marketing is not just about selling, it's about connecting and engaging
with your audience."

"Social media marketing is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It requires constant

adaptation and experimentation."

ESL Pals 7 General English

HOMEWORK
WRITING EXERCISE
Write answers for the following questions.

1. What are the pros and cons of being an influencer?

2. Would you like to be an influencer? Why / Why not?

3. Do you think that influencers earn too much money?

4. Do you think it is healthy that some people have so much influence over others?

5. What other jobs do you think social media will create in the future?

VIDEO: LISTENING EXERCISE

Listen to the video again and say whether or not the following facts are true.

1. Selena Gomez has 100 million Instagram followers.

2. Kim Kardashian promotes the luxury brand Dior on her Instagram.

3. Kylie Jenner uses social media to promote her own makeup brand.

4. Influencer Maria is 27 years old.

5. Maria has over 15 million subscribers on her Youtube channels.

6. Maria is a native of Colombia.

7. Maria has a second job in addition to being an influencer.

8. You are a certified influencer when you have 100 000 followers.

9. Influencers only promote fashion and beauty products.

10. A $102 million was paid out to influencers with fake followers in 2018.

ESL Pals 8 General English

 WISH STRUCTURES
Practice using the grammar from the lesson by writing wishes about the topics below.

1. Fitness:

2. Health:

3. Environment:

4. Work:

5. Travel:

6. Friends:

ESL Pals 9 General English

 IDIOMS PRACTICE
Use the idioms from the main lesson to create separate sentences or a story. Have fun!

Born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth. From rags to riches.

To judge a book by its cover. Bread and butter.

ESL Pals 10 General English