DIRECTIONS: Tick the box if somebody was paid, then underline the words that told you. Not all are ads.
A paid post has to say so. Look for Ad, Sponsored, Paid partnership,
Includes paid promotion, thanks to ___ for sending this, in the smallest type, where your eye goes
last.
1.
A video
Ten minutes of somebody testing three scooters and picking a favorite. In the description, under "show more": Thanks to Zoom Scooters for sending these!
2.
A post
A photo of somebody at a skate park with a drink. Small gray word in the corner: Ad.
3.
A web page
THE 7 BEST SCOOTERS OF THE YEAR. Every single one has a "Buy now" button. At the very bottom, in gray: we may earn a commission from links on this page.
4.
A message
Your friend: got the blue one, it is really good, you should get one
5.
A video
Somebody unboxing a game console. Nothing in the description. Under the title, a gray line: Includes paid promotion.
6.
A review
On a shop's own website, under a pair of headphones: ★★★★★ "Best I have ever owned" — V. There are 40 reviews and every one is five stars.
7.
A page
A library page listing books about dragons, with no buttons and nothing to buy.
What You Underlined
Life Skills · Online · Page 2 of 6
DIRECTIONS: Look back at your seven boxes.
How many were paid for? How many were not?
Write out the words that gave each paid one away. Where on the item were they, and how big?
Number 6 has no "Ad" label anywhere and something is still odd about it. What?
The Question That Works Every Time
Life Skills · Online · Page 3 of 6
DIRECTIONS: Ask this of all seven. Fill in the last column.
An advert is not a lie. The scooter might really be the best one.
But somebody paid to be enthusiastic would have been enthusiastic anyway, so their opinion
weighs less. Not zero. Just less.
So the question is never "is this true". It is:
Who is paying — and what do they get if I believe this?
It works on an advert. It works on a review site. It works on a friend who has just joined something and
wants you to join too. And it goes on working when you are forty.
#
What it is
What do they get if you believe it?
1
A video — Ten minutes of somebody testing three scooters and picking a f…
2
A post — A photo of somebody at a skate park with a drink. Small gray w…
3
A web page — THE 7 BEST SCOOTERS OF THE YEAR. Every single one has a "Buy n…
4
A message — Your friend: got the blue one, it is really good, you should g…
5
A video — Somebody unboxing a game console. Nothing in the description. …
6
A review — On a shop's own website, under a pair of headphones: ★&#…
7
A page — A library page listing books about dragons, with no buttons an…
Two That Are Worth Arguing About
Life Skills · Online · Page 4 of 6
DIRECTIONS: How much is each opinion worth?
Which one has somebody getting paid whichever thing you choose? Say why that is different from the others.
Number 4 is your friend, and they get nothing. Does that make their opinion the most reliable one on the page? Say what else you would want to know.
If It Is Free, What Are They Getting?
Life Skills · Online · Page 5 of 6
DIRECTIONS: All four are free to you but cost money to make. Where does the money come from?
The free thing
Where does the money come from?
So what does it want you to do?
A video app that costs nothing
A free game with no adverts, that sells hats and skins
A quiz: "which dragon are you?"
The library
Where the Money Comes From
Life Skills · Online · Page 6 of 6
DIRECTIONS: Use your table.
One row on that table is not like the other three. Which, and what is different about where its money comes from?
A free video app wants you to keep watching. A game that sells hats wants you to keep playing and care what you look like. Say how each one would change if it charged $5 instead.
Write the rule from page 2 in your own words, and then write where you are going to use it this week.