Why I Heart My Media

Basically yeah, that show really had its claws in me, refusing to let me or my thoughts go for what lasted a span of years. Also, yup that was my final IB maths exam and I barely passed (Math isn’t really my cup of tea). The new episode was always available at ungodly hours where I live so I adapted and that’s that (it was season 8 episode 5 and you can guess how dissatisfied I was, it clouded my mind during that entire day). I’ve noticed there are multiple forms of media in my life that have a similar effect on me. For some, that kind of media is an escape from reality, for others it almost becomes reality for a moment. For me it’s most definitely the latter! Being invested in for example Game of Thrones, or even the Eurovision Song Contest once it’s that time of year again, is a fundamental part of who I am and want to be as a person. Despite this sounding rather pervasive, I wouldn’t have it any other way. These and many more forms of media make me feel like I’m a part of something without having to leave the comfort of my own home. They enable strong connections to people all across the world, and through other forms of media we get to communicate with each other. So in a lot of ways, even through endless distance, media has the power to unite. Take for example the whole motto of Eurovision, coming together through music. That never fails to give me goose bumps. What can I say, I’m an emotional person and media help me express myself in that way. So thanks a bunch, media! Cheers!

Student ID: 13703765

Everyday we live with media, we put so much time into them. We choose to spend hours every day interacting with posts, videos, images, but why do we this?

I feel that the reason we put so much effort and time into our social media, or media in general, is because we also get so much out of it. The algorithms of the platforms and apps we use everyday have gotten to know us so well, sometimes even better than the people we’re closest to in “real life”. Because these algorithms know us so well they know exactly what we like, find interesting, makes us happy. They know exactly how to make us feel any emotion that they want.

The fact that we put so much effort and time into media and that media give us back so many feelings and emotions makes me feel that we shouldn’t look at media usage solely as humans using media. It is a two way street, we put a lot into it but we also get a lot from it. The relationship we have with media is closer to the relationships we have with other people than solely a utilitarian relationship.

Once we accept this way of viewing media usage will we be a step closer to living in media, instead of with media. This acceptance will help us be more at peace with our media usage and maybe remove the taboo I feel like there is in using a lot of media.

Student ID: 13939475

Als ik mijzelf de vraag stel of ik blij ben met het ontstaan van media, begin ik te twijfelen; hierin zal ik zeker niet de enige zijn.

Toch denk ik dan,

Is het raar dat ik liever iemand ‘oldschool’ in de kroeg ontmoet dan op Tinder?

Is het raar dat ik liever naar de fysieke winkel ga dan gorrilas bestel?

Is het raar dat ik liever naar drive-in bioscopen zou gaan dan Netflix te kijken?

Is het raar dat ik er soms over nadenk Instagram, Snapchat en Facebook te verwijderen?

Nee. Maar waarom doe ik het dan niet?

Omdat de wereld verandert, en dat is niet raar.

student ID: 13920731

The great difference between love and media, two of the arguably most perpetual and eternal drugs of the modern day, is that one of them is perfect. Love, unlike media, is an emotion perhaps the greatest emotion, but it comes with a price. Everyone who is lucky enough to live a full life will at some point pay this price, the price of a broken heart. Sorrow, rage and despair are to name a few of the emotions people can go through when experiencing heartbreak. But they are nonetheless vital emotions to experience. For people must learn the dangers and pleasures of love the hard way, individual experience. Only through the knowledge learned after a heartbreak can we attain appreciation for love. So is media more perfect than love? Yes, and here is why.

 Love is so real, because it can make us feel so many emotions. Everyone wants love in their lives, and despite the sadness that love brings; we all strive for love, and at the end of the day it is really the only important thing in life. That means the most important thing in life, love, is perfect because it is imperfect. We need and want love so much that we are prepared for the consequences that love brings. Media is not like love because everything about it is programmed to suit the needs of humans. It takes only positive things in the attempt to create the “perfect media world”. But what media overlooks is that love is perfect because it is so real, and it is so real because it contains more than positives. 

Albert Einstein once said “There is nothing known as “Perfect”. It’s only those imperfections which we choose not to see!!”. Perhaps Einstein thought that some things are perfect, but that those things must include imperfections to be perfect. Media strives for perfection by neglecting all imperfections from it, thus attempting to create the perfect media. Forgetting what makes love so perfect in the first place is the feeling of authenticity, and that authenticity feels authentic because it includes imperfections, because it includes heartbreak. Media lacks reality because it lacks imperfection, unlike love. I love my media, but my media doesn’t love me back, rather it provides me with an endless pursuit for a goal that doesn’t exist. Feelings like reality, longing and imperfection met with perfection are never met in my media. Love is perfect because it is imperfect; media is not love, because it is perfect.

Gabriel Langdon 

Student number:13814818

Currently torn between downloading tinder or not. I’m thinking of all the endless possibilities tinder can offer but would that mean the end of real romance? there’s so many people you can meet through tinder that you wouldn’t be able to otherwise but is that good or bad? You get in a loop of choices thinking that there might always be someone better fitted (see humans as choices.. i mean really?) People can pretend to be anyone they want online, use someone else’s identity, to lying about anything, talk to each other for months even years but could that be seen as falling in love blindly? You connect with someone on a deeper level thinking they look a specific way but even if they don’t how does that cancel the connection you had? there’s one thing for sure though, there’s no more love at first sign with its traditional meaning. You now compete with hundreds- are you going to end up being the funniest, most beautiful smart generous one to make it and become the one? Sounds like we’re all going through the bachelorette show in order to find love. We might not all have cool stories to tell our kids on how we met our loved one, since meeting through tinder is definitely not the coolest story to have, but it might last and it might be even more real than others who fell in love at first sign. So its up to you to make your choice to download tinder or not. Seriously though do i download it or not? -12726044

When i thought about the reason I love my media I instantly knew what to write. When I was 11 years old my best friend who I have known since I was born, moved to Hongkong. It was quite a big change because we did almost everything together and suddenly I only saw him for 3 weeks a year.

I had an Ipad at the time which I really only used to play angry birds and temple run and stuff like that. We sometimes used our devices to text each other but after a while that didn’t really work anymore because of the huge time difference and the slow reactions of the both of us. Our parents came up with the idea of using Skype. We could talk to each other and see each other at the same time which was a nice thing because we both got older and our appearances were obviously changing. Of course the skyping didn’t last for years but it was nice to see each other now and then.

Last year, after 9 years, my friend moved back to the Netherlands. We now both live in Amsterdam and our friendship is better than ever. I’m not saying that Skype is the reason our friendship lasted after all these years but it certainly helped both of us at the time. This is why I heart my media.

I am struggling to put words to why I love you, media.

Never have I viewed our relationship as a loving one, but coming to terms with the fact that it may be love make things clearer. 
Love is complex and hard to put in words, our codependency and constant uncertainty towards each other may be love, but it is also hatred and confusion, with moments of happiness. 

I have been surrounded by you all my life; we grew up together and stayed together. 

You were there when I moved to a new country by myself; your being there made me feel less lonely as this gave me all possible opportunities for communication with my family and loved ones back home.

You allow me to portrait myself and my persona in whichever way I want, seeming as creative, mysterious, or adventurous as I want to be, and I love you for it but not the pressure it puts me under. Somedays, I want to seem perfect, but other days, I want to be real. It is a constant struggle while living in your world.

You and everyone within you expect me to always be there, to always be available to reply, react and repost. Being completely disconnected from you is no longer an option, if it ever has been. It is not healthy to always be together, to always be connected, but you and your environment make me believe it is. I crave being away from you, but it is impossible for me to leave. 

Love is addictive, and even if I sometimes hate us being together, I still love you.

Student ID: 13847937

Even thinking about it scares me to death: “growing up without the help of media”.

It would have definitely been much harder.

Growing up in a small, rural town where everyone seems to be close-minded, judgmental and every single person apparently looks exactly the same as each other, is certainly a difficult and hurtful experience for a teenager who’s trying to understand really important things about himself; things that everyone around him doesn’t seem to know anything about, because uneducated or because of that same place they grew up in too.

Well, this is my case. This was my experience growing up as a gay teen in rural Italy (which, let me tell you, wasn’t that “Call Me By Your Name” of an experience at all), constantly having to face two different realities: the media one and the “real world” around me.

It always felt as if I was living in my own bubble, isolated from everyone else. I mean, of course I had friends there and I still do, really dear friends, but I surely cannot say that I experienced the same things that the majority of the other people my age did. This is because I was too afraid of even doing stupid things such as going to the club, where I thought I would put myself in danger being aware that all the close-minded people there knew about my “secret”. Which is crazy thinking about it now.

Luckily for me, I happened to grow up with the help of the Internet, which acted as a constant reminder to myself that who I am is not wrong or strange at all. It definitely helped me understand how many beautiful people exist out there, and some of us just happen to grow up in the wrong place.

If I hadn’t loved and used media as much as I did, I would have gained a wrong impression of the world, one where the majority of the people are close-minded, but I did, which allowed me to feel better about myself and have more hope for the years that had to come.

Media truly acted as a third parent for me, with the exception that with my parents I couldn’t even discuss about half of the things I learnt through the Internet.

Please, keep in mind that my experience is just a “stupid” example, because there is an infinity of people around the world that had it and still have it absolutely worse than me. But I truly believe that media can be a savior for some people, and it surely has its downsides, but the relief and joy it brings to some of us is totally worth it.

That’s why I ❤ media and I will always be grateful for it.

Student ID: 13932292

Is difficult to describe in just a few words. Media has given me so much in life. 

It brought a smile to my face while I thought all happiness was lost. It gave me friends when I felt like I was alone. It taught me a language other than my own, and with that the ability to communicate with people from all over the world. 

I’ve gotten to know different cultures and perspectives. I can share my stories and interests without feeling like I’m judged for them. I can keep in touch with those I love through media. And I can lose myself in media completely when the “real” world is too much for the moment. 

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