Media Blog Reflection

This class hasn't really changed my perspective on media, just reinforced ideas that I already had. It's common knowledge that media can have numerous negative impacts on people, especially people as easily influenced as teenagers. The stereotypes and bad habits portrayed in the things we watch make it more likely for us to become those stereotypes, to implement those bad habits. I'm not one to cut myself off from media because of these negative impacts- rather, being aware of them can help one stay away from them. I watch TV almost every night as a way to relax and unwind. I try to focus on the stories and the depth of the characters rather than the surface level of a show. I listen to music constantly, and do find myself behaving like I think the song dictates or how the singer would act, but I think this has more to do with my moods choosing the song, not the other way around. Keeping this blog has helped me think deeper about everything around me, which is good and bad. Analyzing media often makes me see the superficiality of it and causes me to lose interest. Also, when I see a stereotype or something that I find I do myself portrayed in whatever I'm listening to or watching, it makes me feel unoriginal. The concept of media copying life versus life copying media is so blurry now it's difficult to distinguish. I don't know if this class helped or hurt that- again, I think it reinforced the things I already knew or believed about media today. Despite the negative impacts that we seem to dwell on, reading other’s blogs has shown me the good that can come from media consumption as well, Jenan's blog, for example, talked about how she heard stories and connected with people that she never would have without the radio, the iphone, or the TV. I think the original purpose of media was to connect with others, to share amazing discoveries and to stay entertained. The problem with the current media landscape is that it fulfills those purposes but then goes beyond them; demanding all of our time, attention, and dictating the way we live and act. I've thought a lot about balance through this whole assignment- balance between good influence and bad, between too much media and not enough. The conclusion I've come to is that the balance will be different for every person, but the best thing we can do is stay aware of the bad parts of media and educate ourselves and others on them so they don't fall into the trap.