Technology and the internet

Goal: describe everyday devices and online life, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of technology using phrases such as 'One advantage of', 'On the other hand', 'allows you to' and 'tends to'.

These days, almost everyone in Addis Ababa carries a smartphone, which they use for messaging, mobile money and reading the news.

በእነዚህ ቀናት በአዲስ አበባ ማለት ይቻላል ሁሉም ሰው ስማርትፎን ይዟል፣ ይህንም ለመልዕክት መላላክ፣ ለሞባይል ገንዘብና ዜና ለማንበብ ይጠቀሙበታል።

One advantage of the internet is that it allows you to learn new skills for free, without leaving your home.

የኢንተርኔት አንዱ ጥቅም ከቤትህ ሳትወጣ አዳዲስ ክህሎቶችን በነጻ እንድትማር መፍቀዱ ነው።

On the other hand, people tend to spend too many hours online, and this can affect their sleep and their studies.

በሌላ በኩል ሰዎች በኢንተርኔት ላይ በጣም ብዙ ሰዓታት የማሳለፍ ዝንባሌ አላቸው፣ ይህም እንቅልፋቸውንና ትምህርታቸውን ሊጎዳ ይችላል።

It is important to protect your password and never share your private information with a stranger online.

የይለፍ ቃልህን መጠበቅና የግል መረጃህን በኢንተርኔት ላይ ለማታውቀው ሰው ፈጽሞ አለማካፈል አስፈላጊ ነው።

slow

Useful technology vocabulary: 'device' (a machine such as a phone or laptop), 'download' (to copy a file onto your device), 'password' (a secret word that protects your account), 'screen time' (the hours you spend looking at a screen), and 'reliable' (something you can trust to work well).

Dawit runs a small coffee shop near a busy market in Addis Ababa, and over the last few years technology has completely changed the way he works. In the past, he kept all of his accounts in a paper notebook and only accepted cash, which meant he often lost time counting birr and giving change during the morning rush. Today his customers pay with mobile money straight from their phones, and a simple app on his laptop records every sale automatically. One advantage of this change is that he can see exactly how much buna he sells each day, so he orders beans more carefully and wastes less. The internet also allows him to advertise on social media, and several new customers have found his shop because of a single photo of his injera and special coffee. On the other hand, Dawit admits that technology brings real problems too. The network is not always reliable, and when it fails he cannot accept digital payments at all. He also worries about security, because a friend once lost money after sharing his password with a stranger who pretended to work for the bank. To stay safe, Dawit now changes his password regularly and never clicks on links he does not recognise. In his opinion, technology is a powerful tool, but only for people who learn to use it wisely and carefully.

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One advantage of the internet is that it allows you to learn new skills for free.