Why I Heart My Media

I heart media, because media connects people. Media allows people to express their creativity, their opinions and worries, their happiness and hopes. Media is freedom.

I love to express my creativity on social media. Sometimes I feel like I can be more myself on social media than in real life. I can dress up the way I want, play with make up looks and express my strong opinions. Sometimes I don’t feel comfortable doing that outside social media.

Media brings people together. Without social media some of the most amazing people in my life wouldn’t be part of my life. Because of media, I can still have my foreign host family as a part of my life even there is 12 000 kilometres between us and no quarantee that we will ever meet again in real life.

As the proverb says, every coin has two sides, and the internet or media is no exception, it has both advantages and disadvantages, but from my point of view, I think media and technology provide a gigantic help for me in studying, communicating, setting the relationships with others and so on, although, sometime I will feel depressed because of media. 

As an international student, I have to leave home and parent to study abroad. During the period that I study in the Netherlands, the mobile phone is the only channel for me to communicate with my family. Frequent video chats reduce the sadness caused by distance. Also, my parent can know a country that is totally different with China based on my introducing or searching online. As I always call my mom, she will know lots of things that happened in my daily life, which will eliminate the gap that generated because of the distance. Therefore, media and technology is the useful tool for me to communicate with my family.

Furthermore, today’s world and society allow people to share their own opinions and perspectives freely because of the development of media. It is easy for people to find a person who has similar interests and minds with themselves, which can remove the sense of loneliness. Specifically, if people with lots of fresh and advanced ideas, but lived in a traditional and enclosed place, the neighbors will not understand him or her. It is easier for him to communicate those ideas with people from outside. Taking myself as an example, in my childhood, I was always interested in studying and observing insects, but my friends around me and my families do not understand me. I thought I was wried. However, I found a chat group on the internet that was organized by lots of people who liked insects. We always discuss our observations in that group, which brought me lots of happiness, and gave me a lot of psychological comforts.

However, it is difficult for people to have strong control in front of absolute comfort. I will spend about 10 hours on devices per day, even if a small part of it is for studying. I felt frustrated about this fact because I think a healthy life should not be like this. It will be better for me to spend some time on outdoor activities or doing some sports. I expected to crash my iPhone into small pieces and get away from those electronic devices as far as possible. As I do not want to be a ” smombie” to feel numb with spending lots of time on technology and mobile phone. Even so, we cannot deny the place of technology in our lives —— dominated position in our life. 

All in all, in my opinion, it is not possible to against those media machines or technology, because they have penetrated every aspect of our lives. Therefore, I should enjoy the benefit and convenience bring by media and the internet. 

Anna Guoyiwei

13559966

Media is “inspiration” itself to me. ‘Urban media’, ‘Media artifacts’, ‘Social media’…any words that have ‘media’ in give me inspirations in a way. And as any people who have used or had media at least once in this world present day, media is the closest and most contactual being to me as well.

All inspirations I get through media is limitless and immensely influential. I can learn cultures and languages of countries that I have never been to through movies and films, connect with people who are thousands miles away from me, peep small pieces of daily lives of someone I have never met.

Through these, I get the unlimited ideas such as lunch menu for tomorrow, how-to-clean-desk and workout tips which seem quite casual. But sometimes, I reach to contents such as stories of getting over anxiety, how to always stay motivated and grateful which give me enough energy to be inspired.

I somehow let media to have responsibility to take care of my life, from tiny parts, to greatly deep of it. That’s why I heart media and I have no regrets.

student number :12532185

When the first time I saw thousands of people singing the song “one day”, dreaming of the peaceful world when every child can play under the blue sky together, I was moved by the power of the media.

Without media, I might not appreciate beautiful melodies from a hundred miles away.

Without media, there would be no such a chance for me to see as others see and to feel as others feel.

Without media, I can only express my emotions through letters and hope to meet my families every time when I get homesick.

The world we live now is profoundly mediated by the connection of every individual and things of various types of media. From the creation of the radios and televisions to smartphones, and from politics, arts as well as economics, to our collective memories, the invisible social network has gradually gathered information and structured our society.

In other words, we live in media and media also lives among us. It taught me how to act and taught me how to love.

I love my life. And I love the life with media.

Claire

Student number: 13535919

rarely is something more exhilarating than the discovery of a new piece of media that you instantly become infatuated with. whether it has made you feel represented or seen, evoked an uncommon visceral or emotional response, taught you something new, or simply made the passage of time a less miserable experience, is of no significance. the heart of the matter is: you have made a discovery, it has left a mark on your soul, and now here you are – attached, and with a growing sense of responsibility.

you go through the motions. first, you need to let everyone and their mothers know about it. you bombard your friends with information on the content you’ve just consumed, and they listen to you alright, they trust your judgement, yet you can safely go to sleep knowing that none of them will get in as deep as you have, if they even decide to give it a go. second, you look for others like you. you move on to the internet, you find a community of people who’ve also recently engaged with said piece, all excited to willingly take part in topical discourse with you. this is your new tribe. what you’re not exactly prepared for is that with time, the tribe expands. more and more people flood into the groups, the twitter feeds, the forums, the meme pages; all as excited as you once were. they ask the questions you’ve asked, bring up the points you’ve already discussed, and share the pictures you’ve already shared. this gradually annoys you. that is when, third, you become protective. you set up an internal hierarchy, evaluate the rightfulness of belonging of those who’ve only just joined, maybe even gloat in the social connivance of looking down on them. and it makes you feel good, just for a small while. to be one of the special ones, those who came before, who contribute to the elitism of the media you’ve simply engaged with. mine, mine, mine. luckily, this shouldn’t last for too long. finally, you come to your senses and ask yourself – what is the value of a treasure if its existence is known to no one but the chosen few?

that is why, whenever i can sense an incoming wave of possessiveness regarding my media (here it is again), i take a deep breath and remind myself that sharing truly is caring. especially when you find yourself surrounded by an array of drastically various people and can rest assured that you’ll always have something to talk to them about.

ID: 13814478

Why do I love media?
When I think about why I love media, my thoughts jump straight to my love for films.
I love films, because they’ve always given me a place where I could feel safe, as no matter what time or place in my life, films have always been there for me. When I was happy, films would make me imagine worlds and things I never thought were possible, where people could truly be anything they want to be. They inspired me to believe, that one day, I’ll be able to create something just as magical, that could make others feel the same way cinema makes me feel. They make me feel like I finally have a place where I belong. A place where I can be myself.
When I was feeling down, they would not only make me forget where I was, but who I was. They would take me to a whole new world, where everything was possible and nothing could stop my dreams. That is the effect media has on me, and I want to make others feel the same, because that’s what a great film does. A great film celebrates everything good and bad about life. Whenever I watch a film, I am reminded of why I love life, why I love waking up in the morning, and why I dream of creating something great

I love media and especially film, because they are a part of who I am. They are a part of my life and I don’t know where I’d be without them. 

For some reason, the past has always been so fascinating to me. One aspect about media that I love is their ability to capture moments and freeze them in time. Whether it’s looking at photos of my grandmother when she was my age, browsing through old newspapers from 50 years ago, or checking my “Stories Archive” section on Instagram and seeing pictures of my friends from last year, media make me nostalgic and they remind me that I should enjoy “the now” more.

Apart from nostalgia, media make me feel a wide range of emotions. I vividly remember the first time a piece of media made me cry uncontrollably. I was 12 and I had just seen “Forrest Gump”. I was sad and frustrated because I was used to movies always having a “happily ever after” ending. I remember not knowing how to cope with this mix of emotions and my mom trying to console me saying it was just a movie. I was so confused as to why (spoiler alert) Jenny had to die. Although in the end this movie made me feel negative emotions, it immediately became my favorite film. So for me, it’s sometimes not really about what media make me feel, but the intensity of these feelings.

There are few things that compare to finding out your favorite movie is also your best friend’s favorite movie or making your whole friend group laugh by referencing a line from “The Office”. Media not only help me keep in touch with my friends when we’re apart, but they also keep us connected every time we see each other in person. We bond over memes, TV shows and our favorite thing to do together is watching bad movies and cringey reality TV shows (yes, I am a Media & Culture student).

Media are extraordinary tools when it comes to self-expression. Although writing is my main creative outlet, I have to admit that in some cases the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” is quite accurate. Photography has been an incredible way for me to turn my imagination into something visible. Sometimes even tangible. It has helped me discover new things about the way I think, about my personality and it’s even influenced the way I dress. My wardrobe has become much more colorful since I got into photography.

Media also give me a sense of control and have helped me build and preserve boundaries, especially recently. My friends and family were used to knowing everything about me, I was expected to be available at any time, for anyone. But since moving to Amsterdam, I’ve had the chance to choose when to respond to text messages and calls. I’ve also been able to bond with my mom on FaceTime better than I have ever done it in person. Moving here and mediating all my relationships with my loved ones back home has even increased my love for them. Media do make the heart grow fonder after all. Or was it absence?

So if I were to summarize all of this, I guess I would have to say that I love media because they make me feel, while also giving me the tools to express what I feel.

Student number: 13645749

I love media when it makes me feel good – when I get back home, put on Netflix and watch a film or a TV show, or spend hours scrolling through funny Tiktoks or imagining my most aesthetic life on Pinterest. Media helped the boredom during quarantine, media can mean nostalgia and comfort in dark times, the ability to connect with family and friends on the other side of the world, keeping up to date with everything going on. It means feeling slightly (just slightly safer) when I’m walking alone because I have my phone with me, it means feeling less alone when I am alone, less bored when I have nothing to do, not getting lost in Amsterdam because googlemaps. But then there’s the bad stuff. So much media exposure all the time means my attention span is very short, and I have less appreciation for the moment if I’m always with my phone. Maybe I should read a book sometimes too but there’s always media instead. Sometimes media helps me feel good about myself and sometimes much, much worse. But that’s life, it’s not black and white, and as long as you keep your limits, I think media can be fun.

On average I watch about seven films a week. The way cinema can tell poetic stories by the usage of moving images and sound, is everything I can say about it. It is my favorite artform, and it will always be. Music may be more powerful and books may be considered to be more intelligent, but cinema is number one. It is, however, thanks to all these other forms of media, that I get informed on my favorite one. Through social media I get my recommendations and through the internet I can access these. 

Thank you, media.

I would be nothing without you.

(maybe not nothing, but a whole lot less)

Studentnummer: 13818252

First of all, I really appreciate that this blog is dedicated to expressing our love for media. I feel like it’s always easier to complain and point out the negativities, while many of the joys that media provide gets forgotten or completely ignored. Obviously, as described in the assignment, love is a broad concept, a spectrum which evokes many opposing feelings; still, in this post, I’d like to stick to the traditional meaning of love and share why I heart my media.

Before coming to Amsterdam, I’ve always thought of media mainly as a source of entertainment. However, since starting this course, I’ve come to recognize the power that (social) media holds on maintaining our relationships and connections. Back at home, all of my friends and relatives lived 10 minutes away from me, which meant that media was not essential for us to keep in contact – I could hop in to my car and visit them any time I wanted to. That privilege of mine is, obviously, gone.

I have always been very dependent on my parents; and while every family has its ups and downs (such as mine), being at home with them has always given me comfort and a kind of peace. What makes my situation even more difficult is my 18 months old brother. His beautiful little face casts light on every gloomy day, and not being able to cuddle him every morning is harder than I would’ve thought. However, although I can’t feel or touch him, at least I get to send him kisses through our video calls. And while on the screen I only get to see a pixelated, digital version of my loved ones, still, this artificial environment is more true to the reality where I still get to hug each and every single member of my family and friends than the one I’m living in right now.

So, I guess what I’m trying to say, is that now, being 1200 kilometres away from home, I’ve finally got to the point where instead of looking at media as a way to just simply kill time (or my braincells), I’ve begun to appreciate its powerful ability to connect people from different parts of the world. I heart my media because it makes it possible to defeat physical (and emotional) distance; I heart my media because it creates an environment where the past and present can reconcile; I heart my media because it makes me feel loved; I heart my media because it makes me feel less lonely.

Student ID: 13539310