ESL Conversation Questions – X (formerly Twitter)

1. What is X, formerly known as Twitter?
2. Have you ever used Twitter or X? What did you do there?
3. Why do people change the names of companies or apps?
4. Do you follow any famous people on social media? Who?
5. How do you get news from the internet?

B1 Level Questions

1. Why do you think Tucker Carlson’s interview with the war criminal Vladimir Putin made X the number one app in the U.S. App Store?
2. How do social media platforms like X influence public opinion?
3. What do you think about sorting posts by like count instead of when they were posted?
4. Can social media interviews with political figures be important? Why or why not?
5. How has X changed since Elon Musk took over, based on what you know?

B2 Level Questions

1. Discuss the impact of high-profile interviews on social media platforms’ popularity. Use Tucker Carlson’s interview on X as an example.
2. How do changes in social media algorithms, like sorting posts by likes, affect user experience and content visibility?
3. Evaluate the pros and cons of making certain features, like X Pro (formerly TweetDeck), subscriber-only. What impact could this have on users and the platform?
4. How do social media platforms balance the need for revenue with providing a good user experience?
5. Discuss the role of social media in shaping political narratives and public discourse.

C1 Level Questions

1. Analyze the ethical implications of social media platforms hosting interviews with controversial political figures. Consider the Tucker Carlson and the war criminal Vladimir Putin interview on X as a case study.
2. How do platform changes, such as sorting posts by likes or making features subscription-based, reflect broader trends in social media monetization and user engagement strategies?
3. Discuss the impact of ownership changes, like Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter now X, on a platform’s policies, user base, and societal role.
4. Evaluate the role of social media in democracy, focusing on the dissemination of political content and interviews.
5. How can social media platforms navigate the challenges of content moderation without suppressing free speech?

C2 Level Questions

1. Critically assess the influence of social media magnates like Elon Musk on public discourse and media consumption through platforms like X.
2. Explore the implications of algorithmic changes in social media on the diversity of viewpoints and information echo chambers.
3. Discuss the potential risks and benefits of social media platforms becoming the primary source of news and political interviews for the public.
4. Analyze the long-term impacts of monetization strategies, such as making certain platform features subscriber-only, on the digital divide and information access.
5. Debate the responsibility of social media platforms in ensuring the accuracy and integrity of political content, using the Tucker Carlson-the war criminal Vladimir Putin interview as a focal point.