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Lesson plan

Level B1

The Influence of Social Media on Modern Cults and Young People

Lesson overview

The article explores how modern cults use social media to manipulate individuals, particularly young people, into joining coercive groups.

Reading text

READING TEXT

It starts simply. You are looking at social media. You might accept a friend request on Facebook. You may follow an interesting influencer. You could see a course about cryptocurrency or play a Roblox game. These actions seem harmless. However, they can lead you into a world of manipulation. In a few months, you might find yourself in a group that acts like a cult. You may feel isolated and unhappy. The scary part is that this happens willingly.

The internet has changed how cults work. In the past, street preachers talked to people on the streets. Now, they are influencers or life coaches. They share their ideas on social media. Leaders who once spoke about the end of the world now talk about money and personal success. The main message is still unclear. Hortensia Valcárcel, a psychologist, says cults can hide themselves. They change to fit what people want today.

Valcárcel spoke at a meeting about psychological abuse and cults in Spain. She warned about new ways to recruit people online. There is still a spiritual side. Traditional cults still exist, but many people are more skeptical now. Young people are easy targets for these groups. They are attracted by the idea of making money. Money has become very important for some people.

Cults also appear in health areas. In wellness, alternative medicines are becoming popular. Valcárcel explains that some online groups act like a digital religion. They spread doubt about vaccines and education. They want followers to be active online. These followers see themselves as part of a team.

In Spain, about 400 cults are active. They influence around 400,000 people. This is about 1% of the population. Worldwide, there are over 4,000 groups. This is more than double the number in the 1980s. A report warns that on social media, bad people look for vulnerable users. They can easily manipulate young people.

One case is Patricia Aguilar. Her story got a lot of media attention in 2017. Her family wanted justice for her. They had a hard time because she was an adult. They shared her story on TV. Patricia was sad because her uncle died. She asked a question online about a dream. This led her to someone who offered help. This person was Félix Steven Manrique, who shared scary theories.

Discussion prompts

DISCUSSION PROMPTS

  • 1. What do you think makes young people vulnerable to cults?
  • 2. How can social media be both helpful and harmful?
  • 3. What are some signs that someone might be in a cult?
  • 4. How can we protect ourselves from manipulation online?
  • 5. What role do influencers play in our lives today?

Key vocabulary

Match each numbered word with the correct lettered definition.

Words

  • 1. cult
  • 2. influence
  • 3. manipulation
  • 4. skeptical
  • 5. recruit
  • 6. alternative
  • 7. vulnerable
  • 8. community

Definitions

  • a. To find new members for a group.
  • b. Not easily convinced; having doubts.
  • c. Easily hurt or harmed.
  • d. Controlling someone in a clever way.
  • e. A group of people living in the same area or sharing similar interests.
  • f. Different from the usual or traditional.
  • g. To have an effect on someone or something.
  • h. A group of people with extreme beliefs.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Question 1

What can happen when you scroll through social media?

  • a) A) You can find new friends.
  • b) B) You might join a cult.
  • c) C) You will learn a new skill.
  • d) D) You will feel happy.
Question 2

What is one way cults influence health?

  • a) A) By promoting traditional medicine.
  • b) B) By spreading doubt about vaccines.
  • c) C) By encouraging exercise.
  • d) D) By teaching cooking skills.
Question 3

What do cults promise to their followers?

  • a) A) Financial success.
  • b) B) Free education.
  • c) C) Healthy living.
  • d) D) Travel opportunities.

TRUE / FALSE

TRUE / FALSE QUESTIONS

Question 1

Cults today are often led by influencers.

  • ☐ True
  • ☐ False
Question 2

Young people are less likely to join cults than older people.

  • ☐ True
  • ☐ False
Question 3

Patricia Aguilar's family wanted justice for her.

  • ☐ True
  • ☐ False
Question 4

Cults often use social media to recruit members.

  • ☐ True
  • ☐ False
Question 5

The article says that cults have become less common.

  • ☐ True
  • ☐ False

SHORT ANSWER

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

Question 1

What is a common method for cults to recruit members?

Question 2

What does Hortensia Valcárcel do?

Question 3

What is 'conspirituality'?

Question 4

How many cults are estimated to be active in Spain?

Question 5

What happened to Patricia Aguilar?

Question 6

What does the term 'digital activism' mean in the article?

Question 7

What is the main concern about young people and cults?

GRAMMAR EXERCISES

GRAMMAR

Grammar Point: Present Perfect Simple vs. Continuous

Why this point appears in the article: The article discusses ongoing situations and completed actions in the context of cults and social media, which can be illustrated using the present perfect simple and continuous forms. What learners need to understand: The present perfect simple is used for actions that have been completed at some point in the past but are relevant to the present, while the present perfect continuous emphasizes the duration or ongoing nature of an action that started in the past and continues to the present. Common errors include confusing the two forms, especially when discussing experiences or changes over time.

Exercises:

Fill in the blank
Complete the sentence with the correct form of the verb in parentheses.

  1. Cults __________ (influence) many people through social media in recent years.

Fill in the blank
Complete the sentence with the correct form of the verb in parentheses.
2. Many young people __________ (become) more skeptical about traditional cults lately.

Sentence transformation / rewriting
Rewrite the sentence using the present perfect continuous form.
3. The internet has changed how cults work.
→ The internet __________ (change) how cults work.

Error correction
Identify and correct the error in the following sentence.
4. Cults has been growing in number since the 1980s.

Short guided paragraph with multiple gaps
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in parentheses.
5. In Spain, about 400 cults __________ (be) active. They __________ (influence) around 400,000 people. This number __________ (increase) over the last few decades.

Answer key

KEY VOCABULARY

  • 1. cult → h
  • 2. influence → g
  • 3. manipulation → d
  • 4. skeptical → b
  • 5. recruit → a
  • 6. alternative → f
  • 7. vulnerable → c
  • 8. community → e

MULTIPLE CHOICE

  • 1. B) You might join a cult.
  • 2. B) By spreading doubt about vaccines.
  • 3. A) Financial success.

TRUE / FALSE

  • 1. True
  • 2. False
  • 3. True
  • 4. True
  • 5. False

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

  • 1. They use social media to find vulnerable people.
  • 2. She is a psychologist who studies cults.
  • 3. It is a mix of conspiracy theories and spirituality.
  • 4. About 400 cults.
  • 5. She was manipulated by a man she met online.
  • 6. It refers to online actions taken by followers of cults.
  • 7. They are more likely to be manipulated.

GRAMMAR EXERCISES

Answer Key:

  1. have influenced — The present perfect simple is used here because it indicates a completed action relevant to the present situation.
  2. have become — The present perfect simple is appropriate as it refers to a change that has relevance to the current state of skepticism.
  3. has been changing — The present perfect continuous form emphasizes the ongoing nature of the change.
  4. has been — The correct form is "has been" because "cults" is plural, so the verb should be "have been."
  5. are, have influenced, has increased — The first sentence uses the present simple for a current state, the second uses the present perfect simple for a completed action relevant to the present, and the last uses the present perfect simple to indicate a change over time.

Grammar Point: Reported Statements (Tense Backshift)

Why this point appears in the article: The article includes direct quotes and statements made by Hortensia Valcárcel, which can be transformed into reported speech, illustrating the need for tense backshift. What learners need to understand: When reporting statements, the verb tense typically shifts back one tense (e.g., present simple to past simple). Common errors include not changing the tense or incorrectly shifting to a future tense.

Exercises:

Fill in the blank
Complete the sentence using the correct form of the verb in parentheses.

  1. Hortensia Valcárcel said that cults __________ (hide) themselves.

Fill in the blank
Complete the sentence using the correct form of the verb in parentheses.
2. She warned that there __________ (be) new ways to recruit people online.

Sentence transformation / rewriting
Rewrite the following direct speech as reported speech.
3. "Cults can manipulate young people," she said.
→ She said that cults __________ (manipulate) young people.

Error correction
Identify and correct the error in the following sentence.
4. Valcárcel warned that many people are more skeptical now.

Matching
Match the direct speech to its reported form.
5. "They share their ideas on social media."

a) She said that they shared their ideas on social media.

b) She said that they share their ideas on social media.

Answer Key:

  1. hid — The past tense is used here because it reflects the backshift in reported speech.
  2. would be — The future tense "will be" shifts to "would be" in reported speech.
  3. could manipulate — The modal verb "can" shifts to "could" in reported speech.
  4. was more skeptical — The present tense "are" should be changed to "were" to reflect the past tense in reported speech.
  5. a) — The correct reported form requires a shift to the past tense, so "shared" is correct.

Grammar Point: Zero/First Conditional

Why this point appears in the article: The article discusses potential outcomes and general truths about cults and social media, which can be expressed using zero and first conditional structures. What learners need to understand: The zero conditional is used for general truths or facts (if + present simple, present simple), while the first conditional is used for real and possible situations in the future (if + present simple, will + base verb). Common errors include mixing the two forms or using incorrect verb tenses.

Exercises:

Fill in the blank
Complete the sentence using the correct form of the verb in parentheses.

  1. If you __________ (accept) a friend request, you might find yourself in a cult.

Fill in the blank
Complete the sentence using the correct form of the verb in parentheses.
2. If cults __________ (manipulate) young people, they can easily attract followers.

Sentence transformation / rewriting
Rewrite the sentence using the first conditional.
3. If you follow an influencer, you see their posts.
→ If you follow an influencer, you __________ (see) their posts.

Error correction
Identify and correct the error in the following sentence.
4. If young people accept a friend request, they will find themselves in a group that acts like a cult.

Short guided paragraph with multiple gaps
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in parentheses.
5. If cults __________ (hide) themselves well, they __________ (attract) more followers. If people __________ (be) skeptical, they __________ (not join) these groups.

Answer Key:

  1. accept — The first conditional is used here to indicate a possible future situation.
  2. manipulate — The zero conditional is appropriate as it expresses a general truth about cults.
  3. will see — The first conditional form indicates a real possibility in the future.
  4. is correct — The sentence is correct as it uses the first conditional appropriately.
  5. hide, will attract, are, will not join — The first part uses the zero conditional for a general truth, while the second part uses the first conditional for a possible future situation.

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