My Relationship With Media

My relationship with media, compared to those of my peers and in this time period, I would say is a relatively good one. And good is an incredibly vague word, so let me explain. I use the resources and media around me to my advantage to make my experience on this earth better.

The first example of this, and the one that comes to mind easiest, is music. I listen to music constantly to elevate my feelings or suppress them, and to make moments more meaningful. I use it to hype myself up or calm down, and simply because I enjoy it. It makes me happy. I've never thought about music as a source of media before. Though my parents have surely been concerned with some of the messages the grittier rap I listen to has (gotta love Mac Miller for scaring my parents out of my room), I never thought about it influencing my thoughts, which is what media does. At least, I've never thought about it unconsciously influencing me. I think the point of this assignment is to become aware of those subconscious influences of media on ourselves and the world at large. 

The second is TV shows. Yes, I, like many of my demographic, engage in binging shows and blocking out the world (our parents) to watch a movie. But I feel as though the shows I watch are an effective stress reliever and give me topics to think about and talk about it. Many have underlying political commentaries or societal commentaries that are thought provoking. Some examples of that are Mr. Robot, West World, Black-ish, or even Modern Family.

One form of media I did fall prey to when I first got a phone was social media. I have since cured myself of this plague, but for awhile it had an unexplained highly emotional hold over me. I think social media is one of the worst things human beings have created. It causes so much stress and pain. It gives you no/minimal privacy and serves no legitimate purpose besides bragging and trolling. There are valid arguments against my opinion, I can recognize that, but social media has only been detrimental to me. Getting rid of it was one of the only positive decisions I've ever made for myself. 

As long as one doesn't let the ads, the videos, the sharing, the lack of space and privacy become too much, I think this "digital age" (as the 40 and over crowd calls it) can be a positive occurrence. I feel like I keep the media in check- not spending hours on YouTube or google, days stuck to a screen. I think we all sometimes just need a reminder that phones can be turned off, and a person's company can be much better in person even though it's more easily accessible over a a screen. Just as with anything, media used safety and in moderation, is perfectly fine.