Why I Heart My Media

I have a love-hate relationship with media. It is my greatest companion and my worst enemy. One of my first media-related memories is my 5 years old self, sitting in front of one of those computers that looked like boxes, playing Barbie video games. As I grew up, I exchanged the barbie games for social media platforms like Youtube where I would watch people and look up to them. I remember buying the things that were recommended to me by beauty gurus or other influencers but somehow still remaining my identity and filtering through the information that was given to me. 

The media that I have surrounded myself with ever since I was a child, shaped the person I am today. Media was always like a double-edged sword to me. I would not be the person I am today without media being present throughout my life, my English would not be as good as it is, and all the relationships I have with the wonderful people in my life would not be the same. On the other hand, my insecurities and my self image would not be as heavily based on comparison to others which would definitely help with a lot of my issues. 

I have learned to look at media with a grain of salt…or a lot of grains. It will always undoubtedly be a huge part of my life and who I am whether I like it or not. That is why it is important to me to minimize the influence it has on me but maximize the influence I have on it. Let us make the most of it without losing sight of who we are as people because at the end of the day it is us, the society, who shape the narrative.

Zofia Poplawska 13981099

Student number: 13906275

Zoe Meeajaun

I have a pretty love hate relationship with my media, on the one side I love it, it is what I spend most of my time doing, it helps me keep in contact with all my friends as-well as help me “disconnect” in a way from real life. That’s a bit weird to say, usually people stop using their media in order to disconnect but I guess I am a bit different in that regard. Anyways alongside the love I have for my media, there is the hate I have for it also. Specifically, my physical media, my phone for instance, I got my phone stolen whilst on holiday this summer and my reaction to that was out of the ordinary. I mean it is a piece of metal, but by me not having that piece of metal with me, I couldn’t post about what I was doing whilst on holiday, I couldn’t keep everyone updated on my life. Looking back at that experience I realised that I was on holiday, there was no need to post every single thing, there was no need to share every aspect of my life with the rest of the internet, but the thing is I am so co-dependant on my media, that losing my phone felt like one of the worst things in the world.

So there has always been this part of me that wants to try and limit the amount of media I use, the amount of time I spend on it or the amount I use it, but quite frankly for me it is impossible. There is no escaping media, I need it to see my schedule for work for the upcoming weeks, I need it to contact my classmates for group projects, I need it in order to call my grandparents who are abroad, and this is all great and very useful but at the same time I am yet to discover a way to escape my media.

As I mentioned I used my media as a way to escape “real life” which is possibly another reason as to why I am so dependent on media. Pretty much what this all comes down to is, life gets a bit stressful at times, but the use of media is also stressful at times, with all the notifications and updates and the amount of up-keep all physical media needs, it becomes a lot, overwhelming even. However, in this century, in this time it is pretty impossible to be without any media. We have in other words merged and become our media, whether that’s a good or bad thing, I am yet to determine that for myself.

My love for media comes from my love of the arts. Media has given us the gift of knowledge, art, and creativity. As an artist, I look at media as an opportunity for the expansion of our creative world; a new age Renaissance.

With access to artists around the world, we are able to learn from each other, teach each other, and grow our creative minds together. The possibilities for new ideas and better improved art are endless.

Just in the past ten years we have experienced a revolution of what media, and the people within it, are capable of producing. In a world where the appreciation for the arts seems to be falling, media has the potential to bring forth a new era of artistic creativity.

Student ID: 13598589

For me Social media is pretty awesome.
It introduces me to new music, inspires me with recipes, connects me to people I love and care about.
Sharing my experiences on Instagram, staying in touch with people I have not seen for a very long period of time on Snapchat or what’s app, getting entertained with funny videos on TikTok all this makes me feel comfortable. Media make me feel comfortable.
The possibility to Face-time with friends or my family is such an important function to me.
Moving to a new city without knowing anyone is not an unchallenging step but the opportunity to talk via video with people I need around me keeps me feeling safe, connected and comfortable. To actually see them speaking and also to see their surrounding is incredible.
Particularly through the course I am studying now, Media and Culture, I perceive media in a more valuable way. There is so much to learn,experience and find out about this broad media world and I am super excited.

STUDENT ID: 1385378 Lisa Korber

Imagine, you live in a gigantic prison and its quite nice actually. You can watch great movies, listen to your favorite music and chat with the hottest girls around. There is only one remark. You cant escape…

Media, I love it. Because of media, I can identify and develop myself in several ways. Media makes it possible for me to stay connected with the world and to participate in the contemporary society.

For me as a videographer, it’s essential to have media. Media give me a lot of inspiration and ideas. Its also the place where I can share and publish my work to the whole world. Without media I don’t think the job really existed.

Even though I write very positive about media, I am also critical. I think media is often giving a wrong representation of reality. And you might consider: ”What is reality?”. I think nobody knows. But I think there is a lot of irrelevant information online, that’s not making the world a better place.

Finally I think media are distracting and very addictive. During the time I wrote this blog, I grabbed my phone at least 5 times to check my snapchat. So I often have a craving to delete everything and to be fully offline, but that’s not possible in this beautiful prison. 🙂

Student ID: 13590022

Because professional writers and actors heart my media with performances on screens.

Ad van Verseveld

11906340

I have only recently started to seriously think about the way media impacts me, my personal life, my emotions, and why I love my media. This recalls particular occasions in the past where I was involved with media.

Two friends and I ran the school media team together during the last two years of high school. We helped document and record school events or projects, as well as create our own content and bring our creative visions to life. Throughout this process, I learned the importance of communication, organization, and teamwork. Additionally, I gained valuable experiences with filming, editing, and handling various media-making equipment, all of which will hopefully come in handy in the future. I am grateful that I was part of a team that consisted of many passionate and enthusiastic students and I am proud that we were able to create and accomplish many meaningful projects.

Another memorable occasion was being part of the process of organizing our high school graduation. Being in charge of the media department of the graduation committee was quite stressful at first as the whole event was student lead and it calls for collaboration and clear communication with the other departments. However, the feeling of accomplishment and relief after seeing the event successfully unfold makes it all worth it.

While brainstorming for the content of this blog post, I scrolled through others’ for inspiration. I read many wonderful stories and ideas written by fellow students and it got me thinking, maybe my experiences are not as fascinating, as interesting, or as grand as others. But they are unique and special to me, even if it is just scrolling through social media late at night or editing a birthday compilation video for a friend. With all that said, my experiences with media mentioned above and many more, no matter big or small, have not only influenced my choice of study and direction of career path, but it will also continue to impact any life choices I will come across in the future. Fingers crossed, I guess?
13539043

I’m accusing media of theft; media stole my boredom. 

8-year-old me is lying on the couch, embedded in a sea of pillows, looking at the bare ceiling. I’m complaining to my mom how there’s nothing to do and urging her to give me ideas of what to do. She tells me it’s good to be bored sometimes, it helps you be creative. Clearly, every kid has heard this sentence before and clearly, this sentence has caused an annoying grunt for most. However, only now I realize how right she was. Eventually, you would get up and, in my case, I would either start baking (chocolate cupcakes with green frosting usually), I would start building snowmen outside (still one of my favorite activities), or reading books that my mom recommended. Unfortunately, I don’t recall the last time I was bored to the extent that I randomly start baking, probably during the first quarantine. 

            The sheer infinity of content in media has smoothly manipulated me into turning to my phone or laptop as soon as there is a moment without any occupation. I will cover these periods of time by watching tiktoks, checking Instagram, or responding to messages. There is rarely a moment where my life isn’t involving media. 

            Naturally, I cannot make a claim like this without blaming myself as well. It is certainly my dependence that encourages media’s power over me. Simply, its endearing complexity is reason enough to get lost for hours on end. It triggers your memories, it evokes emotion, and it makes time pass by in a worrying speed. 

            One of my favorite elements however, is that media allows me to relive the best moments. Watching my old Instagram stories, especially the close friends or snapchat, not only makes me nostalgic but also makes me feel grateful for the times I’ve been able to experience. For looking back at old photos and videos, I don’t mind wasting my time.

However, when I do look back at my camera roll, the part that is missing from this very detailed depiction of my life, are the moments where I wasn’t doing anything but spending hours online instead of finding distraction or occupation elsewhere. It was boredom that didn’t lead to anything but me having to get up to get a charger as soon as one of my devices was dead. I would be thankful if I could be bored again like I used to be when I didn’t have a phone yet, when I was just a kid who loved green frosting. Those days seemed to be a lot more inspiring than today. Nowadays it takes effort to do something that doesn’t involve media while back then, it was the only option. In rare cases like these, being limited in options is a greater gift than you might realize. 

But don’t you worry media, I forgive you. This is on me too. 

Student ID: 13726722

I believe the end of the world is unity. Everything will eventually converge to form an entirety with trillions of integrals. Media is somehow helping us, or at least simulating this process.

Despite the fierce argument on twitter or fragmentation of different platforms, we are unconsciously living in one same internet world. We could share our perspectives through various measures on different platforms on climate crisis. Unless you have never been on any media which is impossible as media is assumed to be pervasive and ubiquitous.

Many signs are already showing we – human beings – are gradually integrating altogether. When wearing vintage becomes popular, it’s not only trending in Japan, but almost everywhere in the world. Such phenomenon is extremely visible on Gen Z.

As a short wrap, the relationship between each one in the world is pushed closer than ever. It is a corollary driven by media as we may never conceived.

(Student ID: 13694588)