5-minute listening: Swedish selfie ‘museum’ gets super liked
- Practise your English with our short listening exercises: play the audio linked below; answer the questions; and check the answers at the bottom of the page
- This week’s podcast features an interactive museum where art, social media and selfies meet
A new selfie “museum” in Sweden called Youseum is flipping the script by making visitors both the artist and the exhibit. Here you can see people inside the “You Underwater” room. Photo: AFPClick on the video below for the audio (the script has been adapted from Agence France-Presse).
Play a Kahoot! game about this podcast as a class or with your friends by clicking on the link here.
Or play on your own below to test your understanding:
Questions
1. In which country is Youseum located?
A. Stockholm
B. Sweden
C. Switzerland
D. Slovenia
2. What does it mean to “flip the script” according to the podcast?
A. to do something unexpected
B. to copy someone’s behaviour
C. to change one’s opinion about something
D. to start something new
3. How is Youseum different to other regular museums?
A. There are selfie portraits on the walls instead of artwork.
B. All the pieces are painted by social media influencers.
C. It does not have any artwork on its walls.
D. all of the above
4. How many different types of rooms are featured in Youseum?
A. five
B. 10
C. 15
D. 50
5. How many visitors are allowed in each room at any time?
A. two
B. five
C. nine
D. information not given
6. What can visitors find in the “Emoji Room”?
A. blue walls with paintings of yellow heart emojis on them
B. blue and yellow balloons with different sorts of emojis
C. yellow lights featuring smiling faces with heart-shaped eyes
D. yellow and blue balls with smiley and frowning faces
7. What is someone about to do when they “strike a pose”?
A. ask an important question
B. have a photo of themselves taken
C. pretend to be someone else
D. hide something in the ground
8. What is the room in which one can take a photo of themselves sitting on a giant swing called?
A. “Pretty Please”
B. “Play Pretend”
C. “Picture Perfect”
D. none of the above
9. Which group of people is most likely to be drawn to Youseum according to the museum’s manger?
A. social media content creators
B. museum curators
C. fashion photographers
D. research scientists
10. Based on your understanding, what might be the purpose of showcasing a boat drowning in a sea of Facebook “likes”?
A. to promote the use of other social media platforms instead of Facebook
B. to urge Facebook users to upload more content on the platform
C. to get visitors to think about the negative effects of social media
D. none of the above
11. Which word can replace “collaboration” in the podcast?
A. collusion
B. partnership
C. combination
D. alliance
12. What environmental issue does “You Underwater” hope to raise awareness of?
A. global warming
B. deforestation
C. marine pollution
D. overpopulation
13. Why did Joep Heusschen come up with the idea of creating Youseum?
A. because he enjoys taking selfies and wanted to share his experience with others
B. because he wanted visitors to learn about art outside of the classroom
C. because he wanted to know how it feels to be a social media influencer
D. information not given
14. How many people visited Youseum in its first year?
A. less than 40,000
B. between 50,000 and 60,000
C. more than 70,000
D. close to one million
15. A “pop-up venue” is one that is …
A. temporary
B. permanent
C. trendy
D. abandoned
Answers
1. B
2. A
3. C
4. C
5. D
6. D
7. B
8. D
9. A
10. C
11. B
12. C
13. D
14. C
15. A
Script
Voice 1: A new selfie museum in Sweden is flipping the script by making visitors both the artist and the exhibit. The Youseum in Stockholm, which officially opened its doors to the public in March, has no works of art on its walls. Instead, its brightly-decorated rooms are meant to serve as fun backgrounds for visitors’ selfies or videos.
Voice 2: The interactive museum features 15 different themed rooms. One is the “Emoji Room,” which is filled with blue and yellow balls with smiley and frowning faces. Others let you bury yourself in candy-coloured foam sticks, strike a pose under neon lights, or sit on a giant pink swing for your next profile picture.
Voice 1: According to museum manager Sofia Makiniemi, Youseum is the perfect place for visitors to film TikTok videos and create cool content for their Instagram. It’s not all just fun and photos though. The rooms are also designed to encourage visitors to think about today’s social media culture and its impact on the real world. One example is that of a boat drowning in a sea of Facebook “likes”. The museum also explores subjects such as the value of money and gender equality.
Voice 2: Sustainability and environmental issues are also at the heart of Youseum. For example, the aptly named “You Underwater” is the result of a collaboration with Plastic Soup Foundation and aims to draw attention to the plastic pollution problem affecting our oceans.
Voice 2: Joep Heusschen, co-founder of Youseum, said that a visit to the museum is about more than just taking pictures of yourself; it is an experience that combines social media and offline fun. He hopes that visitors will take the opportunity to explore both the positive and negative aspects of social media.
Voice 2: Youseum first started in November 2019 as a pop-up venue in Amsterdam and has proven to be a hit with teens and influencers alike. Despite the pandemic, the attraction welcomed more than 75,000 visitors in its first year. There are already plans to bring the Youseum experience to more places in Sweden and even Germany.