Are influencers losing their influence?

Free

60-90 min

Speaking

Intermediate

Overview

In this conversation lesson, students will explore the rise and fall of social media influencers. They will discuss how influencers gain trust, why they lose credibility, and the impact of influencer marketing on consumer behaviour. Along the way, students will learn and practise key vocabulary related to digital influence, marketing, and online reputation (e.g., backlash, authenticity, over-saturation).

The students will watch a video that examines why influencers are losing their influence. They'll analyse real-world trends, debate ethical dilemmas, and participate in role-play activities, including a press conference where they defend themselves in a scandal. They'll also discuss the future of influencer marketing and whether social media personalities can regain audience trust. The lesson concludes with a homework task where students analyse a real sponsored post.

View Lesson Outline

Media & Worksheets

Lesson PDFs

e-lesson Version

Our speaking lessons follow a consistent six-stage structure: warm-up, presentation (with video, images, or reading), controlled practice, free conversation, deeper discussion, and a final homework task to introduce in class.

Lessons come with a printable student worksheet and a teacher version containing notes and answers. For online teaching, we provide an editable Google Slides e-lesson that can be downloaded or exported to PowerPoint.

The purpose of this stage is to activate your students' existing knowledge and prepare them for the lesson's theme.

Activity 1: You will lead a warm-up discussion by asking students questions on the topic of influencers, gradually narrowing to the theme of trust and authenticity.

Activity 2: Students will review a few news headlines related to influencer marketing and trust.

The presentation material for this lesson is a video from Mini Money Docs titled “Why Influencers Are Losing Their Grip on Reality”.

Activity 3: Students match key words or phrases from the video they are about to watch to statements that describe them.

Activity 4: Students will watch the first part of the video (up to 4m 12s) and answer comprehension questions.

Activity 5: Students watch the second part of the video and answer true or false questions.

To reinforce their understanding of the new language or concepts introduced in the lesson, the students will work on a couple of controlled practice activities.

Activity 6: Students complete sentences from the video using the correct words or expressions from the pre-view activity.

Activity 7: The students will interview each other using two different sets of questions related to influencers and social media.

We move into free practice for this stage, where the students apply the language in more open-ended, communicative activities.

Activity 8: One at a time, a student will be chosen as the influencer. Their task is to answer all the questions from the class as if they are an expert in their field, making up convincing information as they go.

Activity 9: Students take on the role of an influencer caught in a scandal and defend themselves in a press conference. The rest of the class will act as journalists, asking tough questions.

This stage allows students to explore the lesson’s theme in more depth, tackling complex ideas and expressing their thoughts and opinions on related topics.

Activity 10: The students will discuss a recent positive news story about an influencer’s impact and consider its wider societal implications.

Activity 11: Students discuss the different ethical dilemmas influencers face, decide which behaviours are the most unethical, and discuss the consequences.