Why I Heart My Media

This is the #1 reason why i love media. You can truly be yourself. If you would say these searches in “real life” people would think you’re crazy, but on the internet nobody cares. You aren’t judged as much. So if you really do hate it when Voldemort hides in your turban, you can express it as much as you want on the internet. And that is what i love about media.

For me, the answer is quite simply; media unites us. Though it may keep us ‘out of touch’ being in the presence of a buzzing phone when having a face to face conversation with someone, I am a firm believer that media stimulates our social life as well. Media has created so many opportunities for people to connect, post, like, share, etc. and within these opportunities, certain communities have settled themselves.
Think of people from all over the world who take part in the Harry Potter fandom and because of media are able to connect with people who share the same interest. An Instagram or Twitter fanpage solely dedicated to that one thing you love and where you are surrounded by individuals who share this love with you. Or say for example group chats between you and your friends on WhatsApp; media has created new opportunites for us to stay connected.
In short, I am thankful for media because I have been able to connect with people from around the globe I wouldn’t have thought of connecting with. If it wasn’t for media I wouldn’t have met one of my current best friends and flown to England to meet her, let alone maintaining this contact after I returned to the Netherlands and we lived in separate countries.

Isabel Teeuwissen

The first question that pops up in my mind is.. do I really love my media? Or have I become so dependent on them that I just accept their constant presence, and slowly start to appreciate all they do for me?

This is actually the first time that I have reflected on the way I feel about media. I guess that is because they seem to blend in to our lives so vastly and quietly, that we really underestimate how much and how intensely we use them.
The perks of our media use are different to every individual, however communication to friends and loved ones is one of the most fundamental perks.
It provides us, with a previously unknown, non-stop connection between people so they can stay in touch.

This all sounds very appealing, however sometimes I can’t help but wonder.. That anticipation when you haven’t spoken to a person for a while and you’re about to see them, that anticipation has slowly become extinct. I probably sound like a reminiscing granddad who thinks everything was better in the past, but seriously, doesn’t the tension of missing someone enhance relationships for the better sometimes.

The chances of media withdrawing out of our lives are slim, very slim. So I guess the only thing that we can do is to be conscious of our excessive connectivity and to not overuse it. I’m not saying you should ignore your chatty friends, girlfriend or boyfriend on Whatsapp, I’m just saying that sometimes easing off on the communications can go a long way.

Let’s bring back the heat of the moment, that excitement of seeing someone who you haven’t seen or talked to in a while. Who knows what will happen…

On that closing statement I salute you,

Ewout Colijn

Waarom is media mij lief?
Deze vraag vond ik erg lastig te beantwoorden, aangezien ik er over het algemeen niet vaak over nadenk; media zijn zo gebruikelijk geworden in ons dagelijks leven dat we er niet meer bij stil staan hoe bijzonder het eigenlijk is. Door mijn studie en de interessante lessen van Mark Deuze sta ik er steeds meer bij stil: wat leven we in een bizar tijdperk waarin we waarde hechten aan de hoeveelheid ‘likes’ die we krijgen, waarin we mensen willen leren kennen via zijn of haar Facebook en waarin we nooit meer naar foto’s kunnen kijken zonder minimaal tien filters erover heen te hebben bewerkt. En we blijven toch van media houden.

Het beste aan media vind ik dat het ons helpt met communiceren. Vroeger moest je geluk hebben dat je postduif op tijd aan zou komen, en vandaag de dag kan ik mijn vader appjes sturen over hoe vervelend ik het vind als iemand naast me in de trein overdreven en uitbundig aan het hoesten is. Ik hou ervan om alles in zoveel mogelijk details te vertellen, dus leven met een postduif zou voor mij erg zwaar zijn geweest. Media helpen met het sneller overbrengen van nieuws, gedachtes en ervaringen van iedereen over de hele wereld. Het heeft de wereld een stukje dichter bij elkaar gebracht: het nieuws gaat bijvoorbeeld onwijs snel de wereld over en we kunnen met elkaar communiceren via grappige plaatjes en anekdotes.
Ik vind echter dat de digitalisering van Media niet al te ver moet gaan. Dat alles de laatste tijd digitaal moet vind ik helemaal niks. Kranten moeten nog steeds op papier kunnen verschijnen en we moeten nog steeds met de kerst kaarten naar elkaar sturen. In deze maatschappij, waarin alles snel moet gaan, moeten we toch nog even de tijd kunnen nemen om persoonlijke berichtjes op een kaart te schrijven en op de bus te doen. Dat ouderwetse heeft toch iets magisch naar mijn mening.
Ten slotte vind ik dat media ons gauw kan overnemen, door plaatjes van prachtige mensen op instagram en op andere social media wordt het beeld over ‘hoe alles moet’ en ‘hoe alles er uit moet zien’ veel te hoog gesteld. Dit heeft vooral invloed op jongere generaties. Zij zijn daarnaast met social media en Smartphones opgegroeid; zij weten niet beter. Weten zij veel dat buiten spelen net zo leuk is als de spelletjes doen op de iPad?

Al met al, ik houd van de media maar ze hebben soms hun mankementen. Het beste van alle lessen die we krijgen over media is dat Mark Deuze zo enthousiast over media is en blijft (‘that is just AWESOME!’). Het snelle communiceren vind ik heerlijk, als het maar persoonlijk blijft. Mensen stalken op Facebook en Instagram vind ik de beste tijdsbesteding die er is, als je elkaar maar in het echt leert kennen. Kortom, media zijn geweldig, ik had het niet anders kunnen treffen. Hoe zou ik anders aan de hele wereld kunnen laten zien dat mijn hond de schattigste hond op deze planeet is?

Lieve Maanicus

I didn’t see the people I passed by
Because I was checking my mobile
I won’t notice what day it is
Because I’m busy watching series

I haven’t noticed the artist on stage
Because I was filming with my smartphone
I won’t notice the handsome bartender
Because I’m messaging a friend

Why would I pay attention to class
If I can google every question I have

Tomorrow I will go out for a swim
But I’m afraid I will forget my best friend

I love media mainly for the fact that I can fool around with it. I really love the idea of messing around with the social vacuum that we create for one another by taking media so seriously. I love the fact that there are no real rules to media usage. I mean, sure, there are some regulations about nudity or certain content, but other than that, nobody says I have to take Instagram, Facebook or Snapchat seriously. I love to post unusual captions and photos and to comment on my friends posts in an unusual way. That’s when it gets fun; when day-to-day life stuff posted on social media gets twisted in an absurdistic way because of a string of words. Of course one shouldn’t underestimate the power of social media, but I hate taking it too seriously. I think social media too often gets used as a camouflage for our personal flaws. For that I hate it. For the way media distributes my attempts at joking around, I applaud it.

Oh, and by the way, I love forums on the internet. Being able to connect to one community of people who are just as into something as you are is a great thing.

The main reason why I heart my media is that it makes people feel less alone in this crazy world. Whenever we struggle with something, whenever we feel stupid or misunderstood or whenever we just feel a bit down, the internet is there to support us. Think of a teenager who used to be afraid of coming out, but has now found the courage to do it because of a YouTube video. Think of the ’10 things we all secretly do’  blogposts and videos that instantly make us feel less weird. Think of female vloggers that show young girls that it is OK to feel insecure sometimes and that everyone is beautiful no matter what. Think of all the ‘single life’ memes that make us feel, well, less single. And think of shows like ’13 Reasons Why’ that raise awareness for mental health and bullying.
I can literally name hundreds and hundreds of examples like these. It doens’t end. And that’s why I love my media so much; it makes us feel that we are all in this together!

I love my media because I can stay in touch with family and friends from all over the world.
I have lived in lots of different places in my life and media makes sure that I can stay connected with everyone I have ever met.

Media also provides a sense of escape and timelessness.
Whenever I want to “tune out” from reality, media always makes it possible to do so.
Whether it is through watching movies or simply just to gain knowledge,
it is always there when you need it.

I love my media because of this, even though it is sometimes hard to escape out of…

There are multiple reasons as to why I love my media. The first one is that it connects me to the world. I can easily communicate with people everywhere around the world and they can communicate with me. Keeping in touch with my friends now that we are all studying in different places is easy.
The second reason is that it keeps me updated. Most of us know about the shooting in Las Vegas through media. A photographer, who I follow on Instagram, was in Las Vegas and let people know what was happening by posting on his story that he was safe and what he had seen. Another reason is that it simplifies almost every part of my life! Missed a lecture? No worries you can watch it back. Don’t know how long you have to cook broccoli? Google has the answer (5 minutes when boiling and 3 minutes in the microwave btw). Shopping can be done online. I can be entertained with Netflix and an endless amount of YouTube videos. Banking is incredibly easy through the website or app. I can book a trip! I can do so many things!
Lastly, it’s fun and inspiring. I can share things I want people to see and get inspired by posts from people that I’ve never met and probably never will meet. There is this sense of unlimited possibilities in using media.

-Femke van Bruinessen