Why I Heart My Media

As I was thinking about my love towards media, I remembered a movie quote that perfectly described my feelings. Therefore, I decided to adapted the poem from “10 things I hate about you” :

I hate the way you look at me, And the way you disappear.
I hate the way you know my life, I hate it when you share.
I hate your perfect algorithm And the way you read my mind.
I hate you so much it makes me scared, It even makes me cry.

I hate the way you’re never real, I hate it when you fake
I hate it when you make me think, Even worse when you make me doubt
I hate it when you’re not around, And the fact that you didn’t load
But mostly I hate the way I don’t hate you, Not even close, Not even a little bit, Not even at all

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There is no need to romanticise my relationship to media, i am just as addicted as everyone else. But for now it gives me a lot of joy. Being able to share music, thoughts, art, memes, profiling yourself with a concept just the way you want it to be (even if its fake) feels absolute great, not going to lie, but even better is consuming it all. Getting lost in endless access to almost every piece of information (or personal opinions stated as facts, who is even able to tell the difference anymore), illegally streaming every damn movie or series on this planet, deep stalking the new girlfriend of your ex, online shopping for hours, watching stupid compilations of drunk people doing weird stuff, being shocked by the accuracy of algorithms and the more or less personalised ads they produce (look, this key-chain-sanitizerbottle-holder is just what i needed!). The possibilities are infinite. But who knows how this will affect us in a few years, what will it be like when we get old? Will we still post instagram stories from the retirement home? What will this do to our brains, our bodies? We will all for sure have osteoarthritis in our thumbs from scrolling for 20 hours a day at some point, but what about our mental state? What happens if we drown in consumption? But who knows if we even survive to the point of possible long term damage showing…For now i would just say enjoy it as long as it makes you happy.

But never forget to question it in the end.

Student ID: 13591630

Media, specifically film, has always been a large part of my life. Growing up in Hollywood with a family in the film industry, I’ve always had some sort of insight into what goes on behind the scenes and what it takes for someone to actually create something. I moved to Europe when I was young and because of that I lost touch with my media centric side. Studying film in highschool allowed me to reconnect with media, specifically its production. After many years of either creating my own films or working on other’s, I’ve created friendships in the industry which I hope will last a lifetime. I have also found that through film I am able to express who I am in ways in which I don’t believe possible through other mediums. Overall, I find my ability to create media has allowed me to figure out what I’m meant to do in the world.

Baxter Tichell

Student ID: 13001264

The main computer in my household growing up was placed in the kitchen, on the kitchen island next to the spices to be precise. As a child with a father who loves tech stuff, i was allowed 2 up to 3 hours of ”computer time” a day. I’d play games alone or with my friends and later on mostly with my online friends. In the beginning i couldn’t use any website my father didn’t vet first, that was no problem for young me; the internet felt safe that way and i thought every parent did that. And after two or three hours or sometimes mysteriously that particular day would the computer automatically log out and shut down: time is up. And i was at peace with it for a while, until i wanted more time because my brother seemed to have more than i did. After a bit of an argument about allowing me more time, i discovered my dad could shut down the computer from another computer in his workspace or anywhere in and outside the house really. And only then he finally told me he works for the government and his job entailed pretty much to hack the hackers that were trying to get into government databases. That was also the time i realized: he could see every site i visit or any game i play live. My father then began to ”troll” me; mid game he’d let a message pop up causing me to be distracted, he could move my controls or my cursor and fuck around with that a bit, jumpscares could pop up.. the list goes on..

When i asked him if he didn’t trust me, and if he for my saniety’s sake could not watch every move i make online

( and if he could please please stop trolling me)

he told me this:

”It’s not that i don’t trust you, and i will give you more freedom from now on, but understand this: when you were younger i wanted to protect you from anything bad online or let’s say anything…. too spicy.”

I have been careful with media most of my life, until i started to rebel a bit and just stopped caring for a while, which gave me freedom but also a lot of life lessons for mistakes or situations i could’ve avoided. Now it’s kind of a mix of both caring and not caring to some degree. Knowingly i might be watched or surveilled at any given moment i spend online anywhere.

[Hi dad if you are reading this: don’t forget your dentist appointment in about 9 hours from now, also don’t text me ‘thank you for reminding me’ — i rather not know if you can actually read this, love you:)]

Student number: 13930125

Whoever controls the media controls the mind 

To me, that Jim Morrison quote has never been kind 

All the Western media shoved down my throat 

At first, made me feel like I was aboard that boat 

The boat of my favorite Hollywood movies, CNN anchors and music bands 

Till it upturned and showed me the portrayal of myself was out of my hands 

The superiority given to Western forms of entertainment and news by consumers was key

As it only heightened the inferiority they presented in brown girls like me, which I now see

I see in the vocabulary of headlines stating the “developed” world

Or in the faces of most movie heroines, their blonde locks perfectly curled 

I see it in the billboards of skin-whitening products in my home town

Glorifying the mark of the colonial world that left my ancestors in a confused frown

A television show might throw in the token South Asian character as a formality 

But my feelings of exclusion will not end till this becomes a semblance of normality

You associate my part of the world with the word “terrorist”, and that’s all groovy

But the histories of genocide and racism, those didn’t make your movie

I don’t deny the small steps towards inclusivity slowly coaxing me back onto the boat

But I refuse to fully get back on till they have drained the whole moat 

I love media that promotes all backgrounds and cultures

Not the “Fox News mentality”, because they’re all blind vultures 

Whoever controls the media controls the mind 

To me, for now, that Jim Morrison quote has never been kind 

Ayla Alam, 13835963

I grew up on a small island. Though I was very privileged, I quickly realised that most people didn’t think like me. I always had such a bold view of the world; I loved my country but I had this thirst for adventure that extended far beyond it. However, I found myself being surrounded by people who could only see within the 617 km² of our island. There were two occasions where I felt like I actually fit in. First, when I would travel and could explore the world, different cultures and people. The other way, which was more accessible, is when I used media. I was able to connect with kindred spirits; people with the same dreams, values and challenges as me. I watched others who also felt like they stood out make their place in the world and become successful. It kept me going, and assured me that no matter how alone I felt, there were others like me. If it wasn’t for media, I probably would have dimmed myself to fit in with those physically around me.

In short, I love Media, because Media made me who I am, and will continue to shape me into who I’m meant to be.

Student ID : 13598457 

Growing up, I always loved media, whether it was film, social media or music. I looked up to people in my environment and online that were successful doing what they love. 

Though media has been a great aid in connecting me to my family in hard times like my mom’s cancer who was getting treatment 1000km away from me, it was also a burden to find myself. Being in a community that calls themselves “inclusive” without doing anything about it, online platforms helped me to find people that I relate to and can identify myself through. Accepting myself was just a little easier. Though sometimes, the emphasis on being perfect, for example on Instagram, just like anyone else, made me feel like absolute shit. I regret being exposed to media so early in my life, but I wouldn’t be where I am today without it. 

In conclusion, I love media but I hate myself.

student id: 13660586

Like most people, I find media a hugely helpful tool in the student world but it has slowly dominated my life. I have become addicted to Netflix and communication apps, especially after my move to Amsterdam. I distract myself from important things such as work, as well as my own emotions through media.
Media is a massive part of my life, and although I am happy about it, I wish it wasn’t so accessible and such a fundamental part of our society. Though, saying this will unfortunately not change my relationship with media.

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I love media when it’s useful, but I’d rather meet and speak with friends, family or fun strangers without it. I do love a good movie to watch on a rainy evening or listen to loads and loads of music for every mood. I do see all the benefits of media and could not live without it, but sometimes I notice myself wondering what it would be like if I grew up without it. That idea has something nostalgic and authentic about it.

13449877

My media and I have an ambivalent relationship. On the one hand I am drawn to it, depend on it, dissolve in it and able to express myself with it. On the other hand I avoid it, shut it down and get angry. It is ambivalent and can change from one moment to the other. Maybe in some cases it is not even about the medium itself but the things in it. People saying anything they want without holding back. Irrational opinions with bad argumentation, videos or images which I want to distance myself from as far as possible. I am exposed to both, the good and the bad, not knowing what I will see next. I am mainly talking bout social media here. The “fakeness” the pretending just triggers me from time to time and makes me quite sad, feeling we are living in a dystopian world where we have become the media itself and are only able to live and express ourselves through it.

Other mediums give me such much. Music, films, photography and their capacity of artistic expression can bring me to life, I indulge in them.

It is an ambivalent, however not a relationship that should be underestimated. The word Media is broad and with everything that it embodies, it definitely has a lot to offer.

Matz Bech 13908839

As for why I love my media is such a simple yet complex question. The possibilities in the media are limitless for everyone. Growing up, I always found it difficult to make friends who would take care of me, and some of my “friends” often made me feel very insecure until I started to believe the things they said. But as I got older, I started using social media more often, especially Facebook. I created random fan pages about things that I found particularly interesting and fun at the time, and people my age started looking at these fan pages even if they had notably poor and shoddy content. Some of them wrote me such nice things that at some point we started texting me on Messenger. One of these people objected to me, we had similar interests and issues, and overall, I felt that this person fully understood what I was going through. We often called each other on Skype, played video games online, or just chatted all night. It went on like this for about three years before I finally convinced my mother to take me to the city where she lives. After talking to her for so many days, months, and years, I wasn’t the least bit nervous about meeting her for the first time in real life. We had a lot to talk about when we first met, and she was just as great on the internet as she was in real life. This whole experience made me realize that without social media I would never meet one of my best friends for whom I am strangely grateful. 

 On the other hand, I think the Internet can be a very hateful place. I have come across many bullying posts, hurtful messages, and generally horrible things that have been said about me or someone I knew. On the outside, it may seem like these things never hurt, but on the inside, there is always a part where we wonder if these things are true, and then we go ahead and reconsider. But the truth is, only what we think about ourselves matters. Most of the people who write hurtful things on the Internet are much more insecure and have to project them onto someone else. 

 I think the media has ups and downs, but everything has ups and downs. As much as I love my means of communication to make new friends, stay up to date and share with the world what makes me happy, sometimes I feel an immense amount of judgment and hatred, but then I realized what makes me happy is was more powerful than any hate.

Student number: 13918028

I fell in love with media few days after I was born

It could have been 4 or 6 or 12 but key point is- I was torn

Torn on the idea that media could be my life

Of course, I didn’t know then it could also become a strife.

Good? I grew up knowing all the time what my friends do:

Just send me your location and I’ll come visit you!

Bad? I got my first school boyfriend and we broke up before we started

And people all of a sudden debated the reasons we parted.

But 18 years into my life I had to move out from home,

To start a new life and feel like on a constant roam.

Media reached out to help and taught my mom face time,

My father learned the online banking and my brother to send memes.

It was hard but it felt better to be calling than alone,

And the long rides to university did not feel so unknown.

I learned streets and translated items at the shop,

Cause once media gets started, there’s no way you can press stop.

So this may not look like real love letter,

Maybe more of a thank you, it got better…

But this is real, it’s a heart-filled piece

Of how media made my problems all come at peace.

student number: 13591711

You know that feeling when you are going on a long trip and you have to take a ten-hour flight or sometimes even more…

We all prepare for a trip, packing up everything that we need.

The thing is, I personally also mainly prepare for the fact that at some point during the trip I won’t have a stable wifi connection.

So I kind of pack my phone for the trip too, downloading all sorts of media : some new albums on Spotify, tv shows on Netflix, podcasts, online books…

However what I end up doing every single time is packing too much. I just end up listening to my favorite songs and scrolling through my pictures full of memories, freeing some storage for the memories to come.

I’m basically “cleaning” my phone like I would clean my room. 

Now, being on a trip offline is one of the few acceptable reasons for not replying to messages immediately or even being fully updated about what is going on on instagram. Here, I’m not even talking about it being socially acceptable, but being personally acceptable for me to be disconnected .

The disconnection is a pleasant sensation that sometimes can feel like an urge. I guess we all have this “craving” sooner or later to be disconnected.

In the end, even if our media are good time fillers when we don’t have anything else to do, they tend to be a way to present. 

So at the end I love my media but sometimes I just need to get away from it, almost like a very personal relationship …

Student ID: 13565737