Internet challenge includes unsafe antics such as exiting a moving car

Transcription

1 Internet challenge includes unsafe antics such as exiting a moving car By Washington Post, adapted by Newsela staff on Word Count 606 Level 850L Drake performs at the Forum on September 27, 2016, in Inglewood, California. Photo by: Harmony Gerber/Getty Images LONDON, England Jumping out of a moving car to dance is very dangerous. Thousands of people around the world, though, are stopping traffic to dance to Drake's song, "In My Feelings." They are taking part in a new Internet craze. Over the past few weeks, the rise of the "In My Feelings" challenge has been hard to ignore. The stunt is also called the "Keke" or "Kiki" challenge. All around the world, people are getting out of moving cars and dancing while listening to Drake sing, "Kiki, do you love me? Are you riding? Say you'll never ever leave from beside me..." They film themselves with their phones and post the video online with the hashtag #InMyFeelingsChallenge. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 1

2 It is not just humans. Cows, camels, goats and dogs have become the unlikely stars of hugely popular "In My Feelings" videos. Likes, messages and shares aside, the online sensation has grown into a worrying trend. Politicians are getting into trouble. Some people have been seriously hurt. In some countries, people could go to jail. So how did it start? In June, American comedian Shiggy posted a video dancing to Drake's song, "In My Feelings." Shiggy is famous on social media and has many followers. His video started a trend across the world. As the craze spread, however, Shiggy's original moves were replaced with far more dangerous ones. Distracted Dancers Get Hurt The #InMyFeelingsChallenge hashtag had been used over 400,000 times on Instagram. Uploaded videos show all kinds of people dancing next to their vehicles while surprised onlookers watch. In recent weeks, some unlucky participants have been run over, fined or badly injured. One American teen was seriously hurt. She was attempting the challenge at a dangerous traffic circle. One woman was robbed as she focused on her moves. Other distracted dancers have tripped over potholes. Police have started issuing warnings. They are also giving out fines to those who endanger others while doing the challenge. Earlier in August, Turkish singer and actor Hulya Avsar shared a video on Instagram of herself doing the challenge. The video, which racked up 3 million views, shows her dancing in the road. Then, she started chasing after a moving car. According to a local newspaper, the star will get a ticket for endangering traffic. In the North African country of Egypt, those found doing the challenge and blocking traffic could be jailed for up to a year. In the Middle Eastern city of Abu Dhabi, three social media stars were ordered to be arrested. The Internet celebrities were charged with endangering others and themselves while doing the dance. According to the local newspaper, participating in the challenge is a crime punishable by law. Police Advise People To Stop Moshe Kahlon, a politician in Israel, is now being criticized by road safety officials. He had posted a video of his own "In My Feelings" dance, according the news. As people became angry, a note was added saying that the video was filmed "in a safe place." The post was later deleted. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 2

3 Taking to social media, police in Europe used Facebook to declare that the challenge was getting out of hand. They shared a post pulled together from different videos. It showed people hurting themselves. They fell out of vehicles and danced directly into lampposts. In India, Mumbai's police wrote to their millions of followers on Twitter, telling people to stop doing the challenge. In the United States, the National Transportation Safety Board weighed in. The agency is responsible for safety on America's roads. On Twitter, it posted, "We have some thoughts about the #InMyFeelingschallenge. #Distraction in any mode is dangerous & can be deadly." This article is available at 5 reading levels at 3

4 Quiz 1 What do police in Europe and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board AGREE on in the article? The "In My Feelings" challenge is a silly trend that will likely go away on its own. The "In My Feelings" challenge is one of the toughest problems they have ever had to solve. The "In My Feelings" challenge is not as dangerous as other countries say it is. The In My Feelings challenge is unsafe and can result in serious injury. 2 Read the introduction [paragraphs 1-4]. Which sentence shows the author s point of view about the In My Feelings challenge? Thousands of people around the world, though, are stopping traffic to dance to Drake's song, "In My Feelings." They film themselves with their phones and post the video online with the hashtag #InMyFeelingsChallenge. Likes, messages and shares aside, the online sensation has grown into a worrying trend. In June, American comedian Shiggy posted a video dancing to Drake's song, "In My Feelings." This article is available at 5 reading levels at 4

5 3 Read the following sentences from the article. 1. The #InMyFeelingsChallenge hashtag had been used over 400,000 times on Instagram. 2. Earlier in August, Turkish singer and actor Hulya Avsar shared a video on Instagram of herself doing the challenge. 3. In recent weeks, some unlucky participants have been run over, fined or badly injured. 4. Moshe Kahlon, a politician in Israel, is now being criticized by road safety officials. Which sentence BEST supports the author s point that the In My Feelings challenge is dangerous? sentence 1, by showing how many participants are likely to be injured sentence 2, by explaining how Avsar created her risky video sentence 3, by listing things that happened to participants sentence 4, by pointing out safety experts' opinions on the challenge 4 Read the following selection from the section "Distracted Dancers Get Hurt." In the North African country of Egypt, those found doing the challenge and blocking traffic could be jailed for up to a year. In the Middle Eastern city of Abu Dhabi, three social media stars were ordered to be arrested. The Internet celebrities were charged with endangering others and themselves while doing the dance. According to the local newspaper, participating in the challenge is a crime punishable by law. How does this selection support the author s statement that people are beginning to get in trouble for doing the In My Feelings challenge? It highlights two different places where there are strict laws for people who are doing the challenge. It compares a country that has harsh laws with a city that has more relaxed laws regarding the challenge. It focuses on the people who got hurt as a result of the challenge and what those people did about it. It suggests that the United States has stronger laws about the challenge than both Egypt and Abu Dhabi. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 5