The English We Speak: Aura farming - podcast episode cover

The English We Speak: Aura farming

Jan 13, 20263 min
--:--
--:--
Download Metacast podcast app
Listen to this episode in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Summary

This episode of 'The English We Speak' defines 'aura farming,' a contemporary phrase for people who intentionally create a specific image online to gain attention, likes, or praise. Hosts Feifei and Beth discuss examples, from artistic coffee photos to posing with luxury items, and introduce the related concept of 'earning aura points.' It explores how individuals use social media to cultivate a desired reputation, whether harmlessly or obviously.

Episode description

Learn this expression which means do something for attention or praise.

FIND A TRANSCRIPT: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the-english-we-speak_2026/ep-260112

TRY THE LISTENING ROOM ✔️https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the_listening_room

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/newsletters

FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH HERE: Visit our website ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish Follow us ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followus

LIKE PODCASTS? Try some of our other popular podcasts including: ✔️ Learning English Grammar ✔️ Learning English from the News ✔️ 6 Minute English

They're all available by searching in your podcast app.

(Photo: Getty)

Transcript

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. At the BBC we go further so you see clearer. Through frontline reporting, global stories and local insights, we bring you closer to the world's news as it happens. And it starts with a subscription to bbc.com.

giving you unlimited articles and videos, ad-free podcasts, the BBC News Channel streaming live 24-7, plus hundreds of acclaimed documentaries. Subscribe to trusted, independent journalism and storytelling from the BBC. Find out more at bbc.org. Hello and welcome to The English We Speak, where we explain phrases used by fluent English speakers so that you can use them too.

I'm Feifei and I'm joined by Beth. Hi, Feifei. Did you see Gary taking more arty pictures of his coffee this morning and posting them online? He wrote in the caption that he is living his best life. Classic aura farming. For sure. Everyone drinks coffee, but not everyone posts pictures of it to make themselves look cool.

He's doing it for attention or praise, and that's what aura farming is. We see people aura farming online a lot these days. People might post images of themselves doing a good deed for someone else. or might manipulate a photo to make themselves look more attractive or rich. All because they want to boost their aura, their reputation. Yes, a friend of mine loves going to fancy and expensive restaurants and then posting pictures of them. She's definitely aura farming.

Yeah, it sounds like it. Sometimes it's harmless, but sometimes it's a bit obvious. Yes. Let's listen to more examples of oral farming. That guy's always carrying a skateboard. He doesn't even know how to use it. He's just aura farming. I went to this party. You won't believe this. There were a couple of people there in the dark wearing sunglasses. I mean...

Stop aura farming, guys. I have this friend that always poses next to sports cars and then posts them on social media like the cars are his. He's just aura farming. So embarrassing. Aura farming is a very social media inspired phrase. People are farming for likes and compliments. They're intentionally doing actions repetitively to create a different and better image of themselves.

We can also say someone is trying to earn aura points. Yes, this is when somebody does something to look cool. It could be genuine or it could be an attempt to look cool for attention to earn those aura points. I think my brother was trying to earn aura points on holiday. He kept looking out at the sea, wearing his new cool sunglasses and asking me to take pictures of him.

Oh dear. It sounds like he was definitely after those aura points. You're right. Well, we'll be back next time with another useful English phrase. Goodbye for now. Goodbye. We have a new easy video series just for them, the London Letter Challenge. Three teams race around London to find eight letters which will take them to the winning crowns. Watch the series on our websites now, bbclearningenglish.com At the BBC, we go further.

So you see clearer through frontline reporting, global stories and local insights. We bring you closer to the world's news as it happens. And it starts with a subscription to BBC.com. giving you unlimited articles and videos, ad-free podcasts, the BBC News Channel streaming live 24-7, plus hundreds of acclaimed documentaries. Subscribe to trusted, independent journalism and storytelling from the BBC. Find out more at bbc.org. Thank you.

This transcript was generated by Metacast using AI and may contain inaccuracies. Learn more about transcripts.
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android