TOEFL® interview questions: Social media use

I saw a short video about a small drawing exhibition near campus last month. The person showed a few pictures and explained that entry was free. I sent it to my roommate, and we went there on Sunday. We spent an hour looking around and tried a drawing activity at the entrance. I probably would not have noticed the exhibition without that video. It was a good use of social media for me because it gave us a real weekend plan.

• a real weekend plan · A concrete result shows how online content turned into an offline activity.
• would not have noticed · ‘Would not have’ plus a past participle expresses what would have been missed without the video.

A video about a student drawing exhibition got me out of my usual weekend routine. I had been planning to stay in the dormitory and watch a series, but someone posted a walk through the exhibition and showed a corner where visitors could sketch. I sent the video to my roommate, and we went the following afternoon. The exhibition was small, but we ended up talking to one of the student artists about how she used old bus tickets in her work. The details made visiting feel easy. It turned a few minutes of scrolling into an afternoon I still remember quite clearly.

• got me out of my usual weekend routine · ‘Get someone out of’ expresses a change in everyday behaviour.
• ended up talking to · ‘End up’ plus a gerund naturally introduces an unexpected result.

I would rather keep up with people I know. My school friends now study in different cities, so their posts help me know what is happening in their lives. Last week, a friend shared photos of her first design project, and I sent her a message. We had not talked for months. Posts from strangers can be interesting, but I easily spend too much time on them. Updates from friends feel more connected with my own life.

• keep up with · ‘Keep up with’ means staying regularly informed about friends' lives.
• had not talked for months · The past perfect shows the long gap in contact before the message.

I'd mainly use it to stay in touch with people I already know. My school friends attend different universities, and posts give us easy reasons to start conversations. When one friend shared a photo of a messy design desk, I asked about her project, starting our first proper chat in months. Discovering strangers' work can be inspiring, especially for hobbies, but those feeds have no natural stopping point for me. I can spend half an hour watching things I barely remember. Updates from friends usually lead somewhere more meaningful, so I'd keep those at the center and browse unfamiliar accounts more deliberately.

• easy reasons to start conversations · Makes the role of social media concrete as low-effort reasons to start talking.
• no natural stopping point · A noun phrase explains precisely why strangers' content keeps people scrolling.

I partly agree because many plans are shared online. Our class sometimes posts club activities on social media, and I could miss an event during a break. But I would still have phone numbers and a group chat for close friends. Last holiday, I stopped checking public posts for several days and called two friends instead. I did not feel very lonely. I think a break is easier if people tell their friends how to contact them first.

• could miss an event · ‘Could’ marks a possible result and avoids overstating the loss of contact.
• how to contact them · A question word plus infinitive states what to share before taking a break.

I understand, but it depends on what counts as social media. If I stopped using our class messaging group, I'd probably miss practical information and spontaneous dinner plans. Taking a break from public feeds would be different. Last holiday, I removed one app from my home screen for a week but kept direct messages available. I had longer conversations with two friends because I called instead of reacting to posts. For me, disconnection comes from losing contact, not simply from seeing fewer updates. I'd make a break selective and tell close friends where to reach me, rather than disappear from every channel at once.

• what counts as social media · A ‘what’ clause defines the scope first, which makes the position more precise.
• kept direct messages available · ‘Keep’ plus object and complement describes leaving one contact channel open.

I think they should. I sometimes open an app for five minutes and stay much longer without noticing. A clear daily limit would remind me to stop. The setting should be easy to find, and users should be able to choose their own time. I do not want a company to decide my whole routine. But it can give me better tools. Even a message showing how long I have been scrolling would help me make a more careful choice.

• without noticing · ‘Without’ plus a gerund describes using an app longer without realising it.
• choose their own time · Stresses that users set their own limits, so the proposal stays under their control.

Yes, I think a useful limit should be part of the normal settings, not buried several menus deep. I often open an app while waiting for dinner and only realize how long I've stayed when my food gets cold. Companies don't need to lock adults out completely, but extending a limit could require a deliberate choice instead of a tiny button I press automatically. That may reduce some viewing time, yet it could also make the service feel more trustworthy. I'd be more willing to keep an app that helped me use it on purpose.

• buried several menus deep · Uses concrete menu levels to describe how hard the setting is to find.
• require a deliberate choice · ‘Deliberate’ separates a conscious decision from a habitual tap.