The Presence of Media

The Presence of Media

Media has an undeniably large role in the daily lives of many, including myself. Many find it addictive, the lure of cell phones, televisions, and other electronic media is hard to resist.

Personally, I am able to recognize that I use media a lot, however I would not consider it a problem or an addiction. In addition to connecting with people in real life, media allows me to talk with friends and see what people are up to when I can't be with them. Friends that I would never be able to connect with, our reach out to, such as those that live far away are no longer so distant. Similarly, this media allows me to maintain friendships I would have otherwise lost without it. 

Because my use of media is personal and about relationships, I am constantly on social media sites such as Instagram and Snapchat, or just messages occasionally. Undoubtedly they can be a distraction at times but a sacrifice I deem well worthy of my time. However, I rarely watch Netflix, or any television at all, because for me that is a waste of time. I don't have enough time to watch the latests movies or shows, I would rather use my time on other types of media, playing sports, passing time with friends, or doing my school work. 

Media also serves as my connection with my world events. I learn most of what's going on in the sports world, and just general news of whats happening in the United States, the world and of new discoveries etc... Basically all of my knowledge of these types of things comes from Snapchat featured stories or Instagram. This makes me very vulnerable to being manipulated because the things promoted on media are designed to make things seem a certain way. 

Several times I have ditched media use and decided to just focus on life and getting away from it in general. To be honest I don't know why I occasionally do this, but it's relaxing and just overall satisfying. This allows me to become much more efficient, however after I finish the things I have to do, I begin to feel disconnected and run out of things to do. I'm not sure if this is a sign of my dependency on media, but it assures me that I can bear being with or without it. Overall, I feel like media is a mixed bag but used correctly can be very beneficial.