How to practice: This set collects only the Speaking Sample question type from the real DET (Duolingo English Test) — DET Speaking questions. No grading, no timer — solve it yourself, then tap each question to reveal the answer or model response.
Q1
Do you think social media has had a net positive or negative effect on society? Use specific examples and reasoning to support your view.
Useful Expressions
I genuinely find this difficult to answer · Social media has clearly produced · But the harms are also · On balance, I lean toward
Show Model Response
This is a question I genuinely find difficult to answer in a binary way, and I think that difficulty is itself informative. Social media has clearly produced significant benefits: it has connected people across geographic boundaries, amplified voices that were previously excluded from public discourse, enabled rapid coordination during crises, and given individuals tools to hold powerful institutions accountable that simply didn't exist a generation ago. The Arab Spring, various grassroots accountability movements, and the ability of diaspora communities to maintain cultural connection across continents are all examples worth taking seriously.
But the harms are also substantial and, I would argue, increasingly well-documented. The business model that drives the dominant platforms is structurally at odds with informational quality — it optimizes for emotional engagement, which tends to amplify outrage and division. Research has documented links between heavy social media use and declining mental health, particularly among adolescents. The concentration of public communication on privately owned platforms with limited accountability creates systemic vulnerabilities that we are only beginning to understand.
On balance, I lean toward the view that the net effect has been negative, primarily because the harms are concentrated in ways that are difficult to remedy through individual choices. The benefits, while real, accrue broadly; the harms tend to fall most heavily on those least equipped to resist them. That asymmetry matters.
But the harms are also substantial and, I would argue, increasingly well-documented. The business model that drives the dominant platforms is structurally at odds with informational quality — it optimizes for emotional engagement, which tends to amplify outrage and division. Research has documented links between heavy social media use and declining mental health, particularly among adolescents. The concentration of public communication on privately owned platforms with limited accountability creates systemic vulnerabilities that we are only beginning to understand.
On balance, I lean toward the view that the net effect has been negative, primarily because the harms are concentrated in ways that are difficult to remedy through individual choices. The benefits, while real, accrue broadly; the harms tend to fall most heavily on those least equipped to resist them. That asymmetry matters.
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