I consume media on a daily basis, through a variety of platforms. However, my most common media consumption definitely comes through my phone when I go on social media. On my accounts, I follow a variety of subjects such as my friends and family, sports, celebrities and public figures that I support (and some who’s lifestyles I envy).
In the past few months, I truly became aware of how the latter has taken its toll on my mental health. What previously felt like a small amount of satisfaction through feeling as if I’ve caught up on what’s going on with my favorite celebrities started turning into a toxic cycle of envy, and more specifically a melancholic state where the standards of the people I idolize seem too good to be able to achieve myself. Safe to say, this surfaced a bunch of internal insecurities I had. However, I don’t regard that period in my life as completely negative. The fact that the media I consume allowed me to recognize what I was unhappy about with myself was not a pleasant feeling. However it created a starting point where instead of self loathing like I had been for the few months prior, I came to the conclusion that what was standing between me and these people I idolize was initiative. Feeling bad about myself was not going to get me anywhere, and reflecting on how the people I look up to got where they are motivated me start taking action in order to actually become the person I aspire to be.
Having a deep insight into the lives of people more fortunate than me definitley is not healthy, but it became clear to me that what was deteriorating my mental health was not specifically the media I consumed, but the lens I was viewing it through. As I changed my outlook on my media consumption I noticed that when I started to feel envious or valueless I became more motivated instead of discouraged.
In short, the media I consume will continue to be self flaunting and a show of status, as that is simply what pleases/interests me aesthetically, however the ability to change my perspective on the media that I consume has greatly benefited my mental health.
Student ID: 13586793
Why I Heart My Media 