My Relationship with Media
My relationship with media is slightly complicated in that I feel that it is both good and bad, and can't completely side one way or the other. Compared to many of my peers, I have a lot less interaction with media. For example, I don't have snapchat, and I don't spend much, if any, time watching TV in my free time. However, I do spend a decent amount of my time, free or otherwise, on my phone or computer, either scrolling through Instagram, texting friends, playing games, or watching pointless videos. To a certain extent, I think this is good, as I do really enjoy this down time in my day, but I do know that it also does cause me to take longer to do simple tasks, and isn't great for me.
I do think that communication is very important, and I feel that through texting and social media I'm able to talk to my friends and family at times when I wouldn't be able to do otherwise, and I don't want to lose that. Sending letters or waiting to see each other in person isn't always a reasonable solution, so texting is often the best way to communicate.
I also will sometimes justify my use of media by saying that I'm reading the news, or gaining new knowledge, but in all honesty, although I do read some actual news, most of what I read is not actually serious news coverage. Most of it is simply for entertainment, which has it's place, but isn't really a great use of my time. Because I am normally able to finish everything I need to do in plenty of time, I normally don't really worry about my interaction with media, but when I really think about it, I do see that a problem could definitely develop, and probably has already taken root. I do realize that media does have an impact on the way we see the world and ourselves, I'd like to think that I don't experience any of that, but I remember that I do every time I'm disappointed that I didn't get as many likes as I though I would, or that I feel the need to check my phone as soon as I get a notification. I think that I'm ready to think about my relationship with media, but I probably won't be willing to change it much at all without some significant convincing.
I do think that communication is very important, and I feel that through texting and social media I'm able to talk to my friends and family at times when I wouldn't be able to do otherwise, and I don't want to lose that. Sending letters or waiting to see each other in person isn't always a reasonable solution, so texting is often the best way to communicate.
I feel the same way. I am on social media a lot and I find that it takes away a lot of time. There is no point to be on it. I don't gain anything from it, if anything I lose something. When flipping through Instagram I see many brilliant things, but those things are so edited and photoshopped that they aren't even real. These things paint the world and people so much better than they actually are. Social media has stolen the truth away from reality. So when I actually look up and see the world, I see it as dull, and just want to go back to Instagram, that "magical world."
ReplyDeleteI can definitely relate to this situation with media. It's so hard to face apps like Instagram and not feeling validated because of how I didn't get enough likes on a picture that I thought was pretty. I can also relate on how I always check the notifications on my phone when my phone buzzes. I also think that social media isn't a good way to spend time. It's really just a time killer and we could be doing something else more productive in our lives. Overall, I can definitely say that I am on the same page with you about social media.
ReplyDeleteMy relationship with media is similar. I commonly use a variety of justifications, such as comparing my usage to that of my peers (mine being less than that of my peers) and that I use media as a means of communication. Like you, I often claim some education value in my media usage. However, even though I know that these are justifications and rationalizations (rather than legitimate reasons), I as well doubt that my relationship with media will actually change without significant convincing.
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