台灣的社群媒體世代差距
Taiwan's Social Media Gap

You probably use social media (社群媒體) every single day!

A new survey (調查) in Taiwan looked at which apps people use.

It found that different age groups (年齡族群) like very different apps.

This is making an even bigger difference between generations (世代差距)
online.

First, let's look at the apps that almost everyone uses.

The survey found that YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram are the most common.

More than 70% of people use YouTube and Facebook often.

Instagram is also popular, with almost 45% using it.

But when we look at younger people (aged between 18-24), the favorite apps
change!

The most popular apps for this group are Instagram, Dcard, and Threads.

Instagram is huge (非常受歡迎), with 78% using it often.

Dcard and Threads are popular because they let users share their thoughts
without saying who they are (可以匿名表達).

They also let users talk about new and popular things (流行話題) quickly.

Older people like different apps.

People aged between 25-44 like PTT more.

The oldest group, ages 55-65, are the biggest users of YouTube.

People aged between 45-54 love Facebook the most, with almost 80% using it.

This shows there are clear divides between generations (世代分岐).

Young people are on Instagram, Dcard, and Threads, while older people prefer
Facebook and YouTube.

What about messaging apps (通訊軟體)?

The survey looked at those too.

LINE is the Number One messaging app for all ages.

Almost 95% of older adults (between 45 and 65 years old) use it.

Even among young adults (青少年), almost 80% use LINE every day.

Facebook Messenger is the second most common, especially for young people.

However, it's important to remember that social media can affect your mental
health (心理健康).

About 24% of all users feel worried or stressed if they miss updates.

This feeling is strongest for the 18- to 24-year-olds.

Yet more than half of users say they see posts that make them want to try new
things, like new food or events!
超過一半的使用者表示，社群媒體上的貼文會讓他們想嘗試新事物，例如新的食物或活動。

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Today we have 10-year-old Peter from New Taipei Municipal Tur Ya Kar
Elementary & Junior High School who tells us an interesting fact about the
human body.

***BITE-SIZED BREAK***

Hey, that's interesting, Peter! You know, cats and dogs have stronger scenes
of smell (嗅覺) than humans. I wonder how many scents they can 'store' in
their brains.
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紐西蘭海豹 自己走進酒吧
A Seal Walks into a New Zealand Bar

Our next story is about a baby seal (小海豹) that wandered into a bar in
Richmond, New Zealand.

It happened on a wet and quiet Sunday evening.

The co-owner (老闆), Bella Evans, first thought it was a dog.

But when she looked again, she realized (意識到) it was a seal - and a very
young one!

Everyone in the bar was shocked.

No one knew what to do (大家都不知所措), because the seal did not want to
leave.

It went into a restroom, and hid under a dishwasher.

The workers quickly unplugged (拔掉電源) the machine to keep the animal safe.

A customer then brought a dog cage (狗籠) from home.

Bella Evans tried to think of a way to get the seal out (想辦法讓牠出去).

Finally, she remembered the bar's special pizza topping: salmon (鮭魚)!

She told her fianc? (未婚夫), 'Grab the salmon!' hoping the food would
attract the seal (吸引小海豹).

Soon, conservation rangers (保育巡守員) arrived.

They were already looking for the seal that day - it was their fourth call
(他們當天接到四次通報)!

Many people in the town had reported seeing the young seal wandering around
(四處遊走).

Rangers said the bar staff did a great job keeping the seal safe.

They took the baby animal to nearby Rabbit Island, a place with no dogs where
seals can rest safely (安全休息).

Experts say young seals sometimes follow rivers far inland, even up to 15
kilometers.
專家表示，年幼的海豹有時會沿著河流一路往內陸移動，甚至可達十五公里。

In fact, this is normal behavior for seals!

New Zealand now has more seals thanks to programs that keep them safe.

Scientists even call this time of year 'silly season' (滑稽的季節), because
seals show up in strange places (奇怪的地方).

Bella Evans joked that the seal - now nicknamed (暱稱為) Fern - was her first
'unruly patron' (不守規矩的客人).

The bar now jokes that it truly has the 'seal of approval' (海豹認證).

Haha! Nothing like a good pun (雙關語)!
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So in today's News Bites:

Different age groups in Taiwan use different social media apps, creating a
generation gap.

Younger people prefer Instagram, Dcard, and Threads for anonymous expression.

Older people like Facebook and YouTube.

LINE is the top messaging app.
________________________________

And...

A baby fur seal walked into a bar and hid under a dishwasher.

The owner tried to use salmon to attract the young seal.

Conservation rangers found the seal and took the baby animal to a safe island.

Young seals often wander into strange places in New Zealand.
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Today's vocabulary term is the opposition, or '反對黨' in Mandarin.

In politics, the opposition refers to the political parties that are not in
power.

Even though they are not the ruling party (執政黨), they still play an
important role in democracy.

The opposition watches the government, asks tough questions, and challenges
(質疑) decisions they believe are wrong or unfair.

0251215NB.mp3