Why I Heart My Media

I love my media because it is literally my only connection with my loved ones when I am not physically there with them. So in that sense, it’s not just a phone/laptop I use for convenience but also a reminder of home and all the love that anchors me wherever I go.

My media has also become a significant aspect of my identity, not only as a platform where I can express myself in ways that wouldn’t necessarily be possible in real life but also as an important influence in actively shaping who I am. The possibility social media provides in allowing me to reflect and consolidate what I am experiencing currently/who I am while at the same time giving me a window into who I used to be allows for a deeper understanding into the complexities that make up my identity at a particular stage of my life. And although it can be argued that there is always a mismatch in how I present myself online and how I am ‘actually’ like in real life , I personally think this conflict/disparity is what gives a deeper dimension into how we make sense of ourselves and who we are. Different aspects of our identities don’t necessarily have to be coherent to be ‘real’ and the diversity of self expression that media allows us to participate in gives us a deeper, more nuanced understanding of ourselves and others.

When I think of my media, it brings back memories of events and people I love. The small moments of life that I want to capture and hold onto forever or the ones others share through different platforms and mediums. The warm feeling of rewatching a video of my brother’s graduation or a shared experience with my grandparents who I can no longer make new memories with. I always had a strong longing for nostalgia and my phone allows me to archive all these special moments, edit them and compile them into folders almost like a personal library without the inconvenience of physical space. Media allows me to communicate, to share ideas, and to gain them and learn from others. When I think of role models in my life, some of the primary ones after my parents are youtubers or people who’s journeys and lives I have followed online, who I’ve learned from and have helped me form my ideas growing up. 

The other side of being exposed at a young age to all ideas and perspectives online is somewhat darker. My interest in leading a healthy lifestyle was supplemented with videos on different diets, plant based lifestyles and habits that were unattainable with my lifestyle and surroundings. Additionally to social media strengthening my low self confidence as a young teenager, I also looked up to movie and tv show characters and their actors as ideal, perfect people. It caused the decline of my mental and physical health and the start of a dark period in my life. I can never fully blame my media for this time, but I do believe that I abused the media that surrounded me, and consumed it without enough caution. 

Looking back, I recognize that everyone has their own journey and history with the media that they use and interact with on a daily basis. The technologies around us are becoming more intimate and pervasive by the day. I feel like I can express myself and be comfortable using media, exploring and being inspired by art and creativity shared online that I otherwise would not have access to. I love my media, from the movies and pop culture that shaped my childhood, to the apps that help me gain access to music, public transport and help me communicate with my family and friends. I know that I can’t reject it completely, it has already become too entangled in my life. The only thing I can do is accept and love the media which I use.

Student number: 13816314

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.

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I have a love/hate relationship with media. I love sites like YouTube, the audiovisual content is endless. These creators inspire me, the videos shared grant one the ability to learn, dissect, wonder – the access of information is limitless.

However, like everything, it must be moderated. Addiction is real, and the reality of that addiction is: it is now virtual too. We are drawn to media because of its limitless protentional and our never-ending desire to socialize with others, but today we have reached a point where media is forced upon us on too readily, becoming a necessity to maintain a place in society rather than a gift to be used accordingly. Media is a wonderful thing but the rise of social media algorithms have been left unchecked.

We now live in a culture that requires extroversion. Not everyone in is extroverted but some of us are, and these people thrive in such a culture. It seems as if one does not adhere to this voyeuristic culture, if one does not express themselves through these medias, they are not seen, they are not living. This is stressful. Being a child in this day and age and being flung into a world of social medias where everything is ubiquitous is damaging. To be attached to such devices before we can even think. When I was in primary school it was rare for a classmate to have a flip phone – now it is rare not to have an iPhone, but quite common to see a baby using an iPad or other such devices.

I believe media and the devices we have created are a positive thing. The relationships I have formed, the decisions I have taken, philosophies I discover people I have met; all of these things may never have happened to me without myself having a presence in media. But I do not think for a moment that we are taking inventory of what the current infrastructure of these medias is doing to us, or how it is controlling and shaping us – especially the social medias.

Those who are extroverted thrive. Those who aren’t must “keep up”, or be ostracized completely.

Media is a major source of modern culture and entertainment. Since a young age I have always been engrossed in media; particularly reading books and watching films. I was amazed at these fictional worlds that I could travel into at my own pace and often would stay up all night locked into a random free book on my Kindle. This is where my obsession with media started, and when I finally got my first smartphone – with social media, free games, and endless films. My ability to divulge into a specifically filtered reality became boosted by this new technology, also however this vehicle converted my time in this creative space into less of an enjoyable time and more of a sly obsession. Media became a negative to me- I had overused the creative space in my mind and began to watch series mindlessly and play games only due to friends loving them. Instead of picking a book for myself, my awareness changed and I felt the need to follow my peers and the trends at the time. My sleep schedule was altered and I found myself waking up later in the afternoon, my mindset shifted into a more negative and depressive state and when I would go into school I would get anxious before classes. I would say this was mainly a result of my social media consumption. These are the main negatives I have experienced as a result of media, yet would I change my path if I could go back and alter this? Probably not. I know that the positives of media outweigh these negatives. For example, I love that media gives vast opportunities and has the power to spread knowledge and information to the masses. One can research into various insightful areas and find that people abuse this aspect of media- however over the past few years the positives of media being used correctly as a passage for knowledge and information to spread information while saving lives. Covid-19 and the various areas of media it has impacted show that online schooling/work and virtual appointments have all been made more efficient and have directly combated the spread of the virus. Showing clearly a positive of media.

To conclude, I think the media has its positives and negatives but everything has its ups and downs. As much as I love the ability to communicate and 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, anxiety, and hatred from the online world. It makes one realise that it is most important to be comfortable with oneself and not look to others for confirmation or validation of your thoughts or feelings.

p.s sorry if this didnt make sense lol

I have always had mixed feelings about my relationship with media. They offer me so much but so little at the same time. They can make me strive or hold me back. They can make me happy or make me sad. I can feel the need and importance of media every single minute but sense a part of me that wants nothing to do with them. Media feel two-faced.

Despite the duality, media have shaped me into the person I am today. Looking at social media in particular, the role it plays in our life is immense. I remember my first relationship in the first year of high school. After a handful of awkward dates and cautious kisses I received a Facebook message, you can guess what it said. I had to break a tear, because I now lost someone special in my life and had to change my Facebook status. Not much later I scouted a different girl to be the new star in my status, letting everyone know I was still in the game. To my surprise not a lot of girls like to be a backup girlfriend so it came to a halt rather soon. Now my status was empty again. It almost felt like I needed a girlfriend to be cool and respected. Having the power to pull a girl makes you cool, at least that’s what social media taught me. This was not the only thing I did to try and fit in. Through classmates and others I felt the pressure to change who I really was and create something fake. I was in constant need of attention, sending out daily Snapchats and weird posts on Instagram just to get a reaction from someone, really anyone. It came to a point where people started to make fun of me trying to fit in, making my insecurities even bigger and having a long lasting impact.

To this day I wonder how my school career would have gone without any social media. The only reason I am happy things have gone this way is because of where I am now. Being insecure and feeling lonely has met me with the challenge to try and find my true self and made me a stronger human being to this day. I guess media are not that bad after all. 

Student ID: 13966464

I love my media for many different reasons, the same way media has many different forms. It is a way for me to feel connected, not only to others but also to myself. As I am able to express and find out more about myself through media. Another reason is the endless creativity that can be found in media. After you think you have seen it all something will still take you by surprise because of how creative and innovative it is.

On the other hand, not all I feel is love for my media. Sometimes it makes me want to move into a small isolated cabin in the woods and never speak to a human being again. Or that might just be me. Because when I think about the good side of media the positives greatly outweigh the negatives. And as long as you focus on positivity, good things will come to you.

I’m in a kind of love-hate-relationship with my media, so in the following text I will explain why I love and why I hate my media. But since this assignment is about why I love my media; I’ll start with all the good things about my media.

Media in general makes me feel connected to the world. I know it sounds cliché, but I really do get the feeling of being in touch with the people and things I am interested in and since all these components are geographically scattered over the earth, media presents itself as a portal to whichever place I want to feel connected to. For example: I love chatting with friends and seeing what they’re up to these days, but I also love reading a book which is set in Japan in the 1970’s, listen to music from my favorite American artists, or watch a Spanish film. Media gives me the opportunity to travel the world when I come in contact with my media.

But, like everything on this earth, every bright side has a dark side too. At a time where life moves very fast-pace I feel the need to disconnect myself and teak a break. Unfortunately, this is next to impossible because we are constantly dependent on media. For example, most people (in the Netherlands) communicate through WhatsApp or email (even business or school related conversations) and we find our way in the cities with a route planner on our phones.

In conclusion, I love media because it connects me to the world, but I sometimes hate it because I cannot easily disconnect. Media is a beautiful but dangerous beast that we cannot escape from .

Student number: 1220529

Last year when the pandemic hit, I really had nothing to do. I did not go to school and I had quit my job right before the pandemic started. To kill time indoors I started going on Youtube. There I found a video of the band bts. I really had no idea what I was in for when I clicked the video. Over the course of the spring of 2020, I became more and more intrigued, and I eventually became a fan. It changed my whole understanding of self-love and dedication. Finding them helped me so much through the pandemic and to this day. If I didn’t have the media to connect me to people from other places I would have been shaped differently. Connecting with people in other places happened 100% through media during the pandemic, whether it was through Youtube, Instagram or Weverse. It has made me discover a lot about myself. This is what I love about media, it challenges us and makes us think in differently; a simple click on a Youtube video can change your entire perspective. Student nr: 13818570

My first memories regarding media and media use go back a long time ago. Things i vividly remember are playing games and watching movies with my older brother. At the time I was often to young to come into contact with some movies or games, but most of the times this was the reason why it grabbed my attention.

Media is (from my perspective) something that should be enjoyed by all ages. And I personally believe that when i’m retired i’ll still be spending a lot of time (if not more) enjoying media.