Song, English practice, briefing on Internet addiction

 

Watch the video, listen and fill in the missing lyrics. The correct answers are further down this page.

Internet Junkie by Honor Finnegan.

Woke up this morning quick as 1-2-3 
There’s something’s out there just  __1__ for me 
It’s like a world of __2__in an impossible world 
Just __3__up the mac and let the magic unfurl 
I need to use the bathroom, I need to be __­­4­­__
Let me check my facebook first instead

 

Got something on my back like a __5__monkey 
I’m an internet user, I’m a facebook  junkie 
An AIM __6__, and a twittering fool 
When I’m not plugged in, I don’t know what to do 
I got this __7__feeling in the back of my mind 
Let me check my email one more time

 

The first thing in the morning, last thing before bed 
Got to __8__that itch, the monkey must be fed 
I don’t want to __9__out so I gotta check in 
Give me a mouse and a pad, and let the party begin 
Got some dishes in the __10__, some laundry on the bed 
Let me check my youtube first instead

 

A __11__ – google it 
A celebrity – google it 
A TV show theme – google it 
An SNL scene – google it 
If you can think it up, search and you will find 
Man the internet really __12__my mind 
The latest tragedy – google it 
What’s the weather gonna be – google it 
Did I win the lottery? – google it 
Do you wanna buy my CD – google it 
Honor Finnegan 
If you get it wrong, you’ll get a google __13__
Did you mean Honor Finnegan? 
Or Honor Finnigan? 
In any case, you’re gonna find me, and you can buy my CD 
If you google it!

 

I could go for a __14__, I could take some B6 
But my DSL is __15__, just one more fix 
I could drink a little java, I could drink a little chai 
But my internet browser gives a __16__good high 
Give me a good safari __17__, or a firefox hit 
Man the internet is some really good (laugh)

 

There’s something on my back 
There’s something on my back 
There’s something on my back, y’all 
And it’s __18__  than crack 
It’s 2:00 in the morning 
Am I losing my mind? 
It’s 3:00 in the morning 
Am I losing my mind? 
It’s 4:00 in the morning 
Am I losing my mind? 
If I check my email, my facebook, one more time?

 

AIM = American OnLine Instant Messenger

SNL= Saturday Night Live

B6   = one of the vitamins

DSL= Digital Subscriber Line (DSL, originally digital subscriber loop) is a family of technologies that provide Internet access

java = programming language and also another word for coffee (relevant to origin)

chai = another word for tea

 The missing lyrics are:

  1. waiting
  2. possibility
  3. boot
  4. fed 
  5. world-wide
  6. fiend
  7. nagging
  8. scratch
  9. miss
  10. sink
  11. recipe
  12. blows
  13. suggestion 
  14. run
  15. calling
  16. mighty
  17. rush
  18. worse

 

 COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

  1. Why did the woman wake up in a hurry this morning?
  2. What was waiting for her?
  3. Who was on her back?
  4. What are the jobs she needs to do? Short them in categories:                                                                                         SELF CARE            HOUSEHOLD           INTERNET 
  5. Which are her priority jobs? How do you think she feels? Why?
  6. Have you got any internet priorities in common? How do you use the internet? How much time do you spend on the internet daily?
  7. How much do you empathize with the woman?
  8. Why does she call the internet “a world-wide monkey”?
  9. Why do you think “It’s like a world of possibility in an impossible world”? (3rd line)
  10. What makes the internet so addictive do you think?

 

Find the derivatives missing in the following piece, from a study published in the journal Addiction Research and Theory by Dr Shumaila Yousafzai of Cardiff Business School.The correct answers are further down this page.

While conventional videogames have an ending, or may become boring and __1__[repeat] , Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) are an __2__[exhaust]  system of goals and __3__[succeed] , in which the character becomes stronger and richer by moving to new levels while accumulating treasures, power and __4__[weapon].

In recent years, the __5__[problem] use of online videogames has received increased  __6__[attend] not only from the media, but also from psychologists, psychiatrists, mental health organisations and  __7__[game] themselves.

A number of studies from different cultures are providing evidence that around seven to 11% of players seem to be having real problems to the point that they are __8__[consider]  pathological players. Some are reported to have been playing for 40, 60, and even near 90 hours in a gaming session.

 

 ANSWERS

  1. repetitive
  2. inexhaustible
  3. success
  4. weaponry
  5. problematic
  6. attention
  7. gamers
  8. considered

 

 Interested in learning more about internet addiction and how to prevent it? Study a relevant infographic and watch this video:

EXTRA TEACHING IDEAS:  Get your students to suggest useful tips to prevent internet addiction after some discussion and a web search. They could turn their ideas into a presentation or infographic to share on the school site.