Ressources · 1ʳᵉ · Anglais (LVA)
Espace privé, espace public
Axe culturel 2 — Frontières entre vie privée et vie publique dans le monde anglophone (programme de 1re LVA)
À propos de cette page
Cette activité de compréhension sur « Espace privé, espace public » en première entraîne à lire, analyser et répondre à des questions en anglais (LVA). Elle suit le programme officiel de première. Au programme : La notion : espace privé vs espace public, Vocabulaire clé de l'axe, La vie privée à l'ère numérique, Surveillance et contrôle social. Lis le document, réponds puis vérifie immédiatement tes réponses pour progresser. Un bon moyen de travailler la méthode, d'enrichir son vocabulaire et de préparer les contrôles. Ressource gratuite proposée par un professeur particulier à Marseille pour réussir en anglais (LVA) en première.
1Read the following extract, then answer the questions below.
The Surveillance Generation
By 2025, the average British teenager has grown up entirely under surveillance. CCTV cameras line every high street, school corridors are monitored in real time, and smartphones track location data twenty-four hours a day. For many young people, this is simply normal: they have never known a world without cameras.
Yet attitudes are shifting. A 2024 survey by the privacy advocacy group Liberty found that 67% of 16-to-24-year-olds in the UK felt uncomfortable with the amount of data collected about them, even though 80% admitted to using social media daily and rarely reading privacy policies. 'We know we're being watched,' said one eighteen-year-old student from Manchester, 'but what can we actually do about it?'
This paradox — what sociologists call the 'privacy paradox' — lies at the heart of modern life. People say they value privacy but behave in ways that undermine it. Tech companies rely on this contradiction: the more users share, the more targeted advertising can be sold. Critics argue that platforms are deliberately designed to encourage oversharing, using notifications, likes and infinite scroll to keep users engaged and exposed.
Some governments are responding. The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has given citizens the right to access, correct and delete their personal data. Britain, post-Brexit, is developing its own framework. But in the United States, no equivalent federal law exists, leaving millions of users with little legal protection.
By 2025, the average British teenager has grown up entirely under surveillance. CCTV cameras line every high street, school corridors are monitored in real time, and smartphones track location data twenty-four hours a day. For many young people, this is simply normal: they have never known a world without cameras.
Yet attitudes are shifting. A 2024 survey by the privacy advocacy group Liberty found that 67% of 16-to-24-year-olds in the UK felt uncomfortable with the amount of data collected about them, even though 80% admitted to using social media daily and rarely reading privacy policies. 'We know we're being watched,' said one eighteen-year-old student from Manchester, 'but what can we actually do about it?'
This paradox — what sociologists call the 'privacy paradox' — lies at the heart of modern life. People say they value privacy but behave in ways that undermine it. Tech companies rely on this contradiction: the more users share, the more targeted advertising can be sold. Critics argue that platforms are deliberately designed to encourage oversharing, using notifications, likes and infinite scroll to keep users engaged and exposed.
Some governments are responding. The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has given citizens the right to access, correct and delete their personal data. Britain, post-Brexit, is developing its own framework. But in the United States, no equivalent federal law exists, leaving millions of users with little legal protection.
2Questions
Q1 According to the text, what does the '2024 Liberty survey' reveal about young people's attitudes to privacy?
Cf. paragraphe 2 : 67% uncomfortable, 80% use social media daily.Q2 What is the 'privacy paradox' as described in the text?
Cf. paragraphe 3 : 'People say they value privacy but behave in ways that undermine it.'Q3 How do tech companies benefit from the privacy paradox, according to the author?
Cf. paragraphe 3 : 'the more users share, the more targeted advertising can be sold.'Q4 What legal protection does the GDPR offer European citizens?
Cf. paragraphe 4 : 'right to access, correct and delete their personal data.'Q5 In your own words, explain why the title 'The Surveillance Generation' is appropriate for this text. What does it suggest about young people today?
The title 'The Surveillance Generation' is apt because it describes a cohort of young people who have grown up in an environment of constant monitoring — CCTV, smartphones, social media — and who consider this normal. It suggests that their very identity and relationship with privacy has been shaped by surveillance, making them simultaneously aware of being watched and largely accepting of it. The title also carries a critical tone, hinting that this generation may be losing a sense of privacy they never fully experienced.Voir le corrigé
- 67% felt uncomfortable with data collection — Cf. paragraphe 2 : 67% uncomfortable, 80% use social media daily.
- people value privacy but behave in ways that undermine it — Cf. paragraphe 3 : 'People say they value privacy but behave in ways that undermine it.'
- they sell targeted advertising — Cf. paragraphe 3 : 'the more users share, the more targeted advertising can be sold.'
- the right to access correct and delete personal data — Cf. paragraphe 4 : 'right to access, correct and delete their personal data.'
- Réponse libre — exemple : The title 'The Surveillance Generation' is apt because it describes a cohort of young people who have grown up in an environment of constant monitoring — CCTV, smartphones, social media — and who consider this normal. It suggests that their very identity and relationship with privacy has been shaped by surveillance, making them simultaneously aware of being watched and largely accepting of it. The title also carries a critical tone, hinting that this generation may be losing a sense of privacy they never fully experienced.
Bloqué sur ce chapitre ?
Moi c'est Ben, j'ai créé ce site pour aider le plus d'élèves possible, partout en France. Je peux aussi reprendre avec toi ce qui coince en cours particulier : en visio, ou à domicile si tu es à Marseille.
Prof d'anglais à Marseille · Cours particuliers au lycée · Aide aux devoirs