ESL WORKSHEET - Influencers

LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS

INFLUENCER FARMS

LinguaHouse
Nov. 30, 2023

Level: Mixed Levels (A1-A2; A2-B1; B1-B2; B2-C1)
Type of English: General English
Tags: Special Report; Entertainment; The Media; Ethics and Conduct; Adjectives; 16-18 Years Old; 18+ Years Old; 13-15 Years Old; Vocabulary Lesson
Publication date: 11/30/2023

This lesson looks at the topic of influencers and influencer farms in Asia. Exercises focus on listening comprehension, related vocabulary and grammar. Students will also have an opportunity to discuss questions on the topic (by Joe Wilson).

* Please note that there are five audio files. Use the one appropriate for the level you choose.

• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in American English (L2).
• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in American English (L3).
• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in American English (L4).
• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in American English (L5).
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in American English (L2).
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in American English (L3).
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in American English (L4).
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in American English (L5).
• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in British English (L2).
• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in British English (L3).
• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in British English (L4).
• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in British English (L5).
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in British English (L2).
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in British English (L3).
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in British English (L4).
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in British English (L5).
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audios (Am/Br English).

AUDIO TRANSCRIPTS

INFLUENCERS (Level A1-A2)
Man: Do you watch a lot of videos on TikTok?
Woman: I do. I find it really relaxing when I’ve finished my work.
Man: Do you know who has the most followers on TikTok?
Woman: Ohhh is it Khaby Lame?
Man: It is! He was the second person to get 100 million followers.
Woman: I love his videos, they are so entertaining. He doesn’t speak, so it’s easy for everyone around the world to understand. Who was the first person to get over 100 million followers?
Man: Charli D’Amelio.
Woman: Ah yes. I love watching her dance. It’s so exciting.
Man: On Instagram, who do you think has the most followers?
Woman: Is it Kim Kardashian?
Man: No, with over 520 million followers, it’s Cristiano Ronaldo.
Woman: Ah yes, I suppose that’s not surprising because he’s so well-known for playing soccer.
Man: Yes, Khaby Lame is worth $15 million dollars, but Ronaldo is worth $500 million!
Woman: That’s amazing. That’s so much money. Is Mr. Beast the most followed account on YouTube?
Man: He’s not the most followed account. That is T-Series, an Indian TV channel, but he is the most followed single person with 179 million followers. T-Series has 248 million.
Woman: That’s interesting. He must make a lot of money too.
Man: He does. He’s worth about the same as Cristiano Ronaldo with $500 million.

INFLUENCERS (Level A2-B1)
Man: OK. So let’s see how much you know about influencers then. Tell me this. Who is the influencer with the most followers on TikTok?
Woman: Ooooh. I’m going to say … Charli D’Amelio? She’s really talented. I love her dancing.
Man: Now, she was the first influencer to reach 100 million followers. But it’s not her.
Woman: Ohhh, is it Khaby Lame?
Man: It is! He was the second person to get 100 million followers. He’s now got over 160 million.
Woman: Oh, I love his videos. He’s brilliant because he doesn’t say anything, so they are really easy to understand for everyone around the world. He’s Italian, isn’t he?
Man: He is. But he was born in Senegal. Do you know that he’s worth $15 million now?
Woman: Wow! I saw him in an ad with Idris Elba, but I had no idea he was worth that much!
Man: Now what about Instagram? Who do you think has the most followers there?
Woman: I bet it’s Kim Kardashian.
Man: Wrong again. It’s actually Cristiano Ronaldo with over 520 million followers. Obviously, he’s a hero to a lot of people for his soccer skills which earn him a lot of money too, so he’s worth over $500 million.
Woman: That’s a lot of money.
Man: OK. Now who do you think earns the most money on YouTube?
Woman: That has to be Mr. Beast. I find him a little annoying if I’m honest, but I know that he’s very generous with his money.
Man: Actually, although he does have the most followers for an independent channel at 179 million, he doesn’t have the most followers on YouTube. That is actually called T-Series, but it’s an Indian Bollywood account. They have 248 million followers.
Woman: It’s incredible how famous these people are around the world.

INFLUENCERS (Levels B1-B2 and B2-C1)
Speaker A: I think it’s a little crazy, but also, I’m not really surprised. It’s the same for musicians, movie stars and anyone who can make money for their personality and skills. Whenever that happens, there’s also going to be someone who figures out how to make money from those people. Making clothes to sell started off as individuals and then they invented factories, so this is really the same thing but with people. I wouldn’t want to do it, but I can understand why some people will want to. It’s better than working in a fast-food restaurant or a factory. But that doesn’t mean I think it is a positive development.
Speaker B: I think the way they work is going to change. It’s still very new really, but in 50 years, 100 years from now, I think there will still be influencers, but they might be created by computers. The fact is, all of these influencers are either going to get bored or lose their popularity at some point. It’s not something you are going to be able to do forever. If they are created by AI, then they can be changed to have different things to make them more appealing as the tastes of the audience change. Right now, if everyone gets bored of Mr. Beast, there’s nothing he can do about it. In the future, a computer will just be able to create a different influencer and keep on selling.
Speaker C: I know of a few influencers and I have certainly watched videos by Khaby Lame and PewDiePie, but the trouble is they need to keep posting content to keep everyone interested, so the quality goes down. Often what they became famous for is an accident, and then they have to think of new things to keep viewings and followers. So, I lost interest at that point. I do think it’s useful if you’re planning to buy something and you can see an influencer review about it and watch them try things on. That’s genuinely useful. But I start with the product I want to buy, I don’t watch an influencer and then buy what they are selling. I think a lot of that leads to people buying trash and then it just ends up getting thrown away. This doesn’t help the environment.

INFLUENCER FARMS (Levels A1-A2 and A2-B1)
Woman: So I was watching some videos recently online. Have you heard about the influencers in China?
Man: I don’t think so.
Woman: So, you know how influencers in the West are usually working from their bedroom or a home office? Something like that, and they work alone or with a small group of friends.
Man: Yes, I follow a few.
Woman: Well, in China they have them working in a large building, with hundreds or maybe thousands of them. It’s like a factory.
Man: Ah yes! I think I know what you mean.
Woman: Yes. The ones I was reading about were in South Korea, but I think they do the same thing in Indonesia. They each have their own little space to work in. You know why it is, don't you?
Man: Not really.
Woman: Online shopping is huge in Asia. But there are a lot of problems with fake products. So shoppers like to watch the influencers talk about items to learn more about what they are going to buy. The influencers help the customers to trust that they are getting a good product.
Man: Ah, I see. That makes sense.
Woman: Did you see that photo of lots of influencers under a bridge at night?
Man: No, were they living there?
Woman: Nooo! It’s because if they work in wealthy areas, they can get higher donations because it looks as though they live there, even though none of them do.
Man: Wow. Yes, I saw that they are all employed by the same company and have managers watching what they say and giving advice on how they look.
Woman: Yeah, I don’t think I would like it. I read an interview with one lady who says she can work for months without a single day off. And they often work for eight hours or more every day. That’s a really long time to be on camera all the time.
Man: Yes, I don’t think they have much of a personal life. But they must make a lot of money working all those hours?
Woman: Not necessarily. If you’re new to it, you make about $120 monthly.
Man: Really? That’s not very much at all.
Woman: Yes, but in that interview I read, the woman was making around $45,000 each month.
Man: Per month?!
Woman: Yes, so you can see the attraction of why so many people want to do it.

FAMOUS INFLUENCERS (Levels B1-B2 and B2-C1)
Man: … and the success that some of these influencers have had is incredible. So, who do you think is the most followed person on TikTok?
Woman: I want to say Kim Kardashian, or is it that dancer, Charli D’Amelio?
Man: No, it’s Khaby Lame.
Woman: Oh, I’ve seen him, he’s funny.
Man: Do you know how much he’s worth now? At 23 years of age?
Woman: Tell me.
Man: Fifteen million dollars!
Woman: That’s incredible.
Man: Charli D’Amelio was the first creator to get 100 million followers on TikTok, but Khaby Lame has more than her now. So what about YouTube? Who do you think earns the most on YouTube?
Woman: I think it’s going to be that Mr. Beast guy? Or is it PewDiePie?
Man: It is Mr. Beast who is worth about $500 million. But do you know about Eva Diana of the Kids Diana Show? She’s eight!
Woman: Good grief! How much does she earn?
Man: It all depends on advertising, but it’s thought to be $63.65 million each year, but that could be as high as $114.56 million. So her net worth is currently $276.44 million. But Mr. Beast actually has more followers at 179 million.

Adapted from: https://www.linguahouse.com/esl-lesson-plans/general-english/influencer-farms. Accessed on December 4, 2023. © 2008–2023 LinguaHouse.com. All rights reserved.