Media certainly has had a profound impact on my daily life, being exposed to so many different platforms, from YouTube and Instagram, to using technology for homework, communication, and entertainment. Each of these platforms has changed several aspects of my daily life, in both positive and negative ways.
Like many teenagers, I use social media daily, using it often in an unhealthy manner. With any free time or downtime I have, I often go onto Instagram and look at my favorite accounts to pass time, whether it is my friends, mere acquaintances, celebrities, or accounts to get a good laugh. However, like many other social networking sites, Instagram often sucks me down into a trap, causing me to spend a large amount of time “hopping” from one account to the next, watching comedy videos, reading comments of the new posts that constantly appear on my feed, or sharing posts with others I think would relate to them. Unfortunately, this trap becomes more and more difficult to get out of, which ends up distracting me from doing homework, studying, or any task in general. This unhealthy relationship, to me, is almost like an irresistible addiction, pulling me into this abstract world away from reality like a magnet. In addition to being a large source of distraction and short term attention span and focus, social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook often immerse me in a world of competition. Often, I see posts of an acquaintance’s selfie, accompanied with hundreds of comments commenting on that person’s beauty. Or it’s a post of someone having the best time ever hanging out or seeing a movie with a group of friends. I see Instagram “stories” of people asking their followers to like and comment on their recent posts. For me, Instagram has almost become a competitive platform where I, as well as those around me, try to gain the most followers, whether or not I’ve even heard of the person I’m requesting to follow, and get the most likes. Often, social media platforms cause me to feel jealous of others, leading to feelings of self inadequacy. Therefore, my current relationship with social media is largely negative.
However, there certainly are positive aspects of media that have ultimately benefited me in my life. Media can be an escape from realities and stress, if, of course, used in healthy “doses.” Whether it’s watching my favorite movie online, scrolling through YouTube videos, or playing games with friends, media is a way for me to engross myself in a world away from my often monotonous daily life.
Like many teenagers, I use social media daily, using it often in an unhealthy manner. With any free time or downtime I have, I often go onto Instagram and look at my favorite accounts to pass time, whether it is my friends, mere acquaintances, celebrities, or accounts to get a good laugh. However, like many other social networking sites, Instagram often sucks me down into a trap, causing me to spend a large amount of time “hopping” from one account to the next, watching comedy videos, reading comments of the new posts that constantly appear on my feed, or sharing posts with others I think would relate to them. Unfortunately, this trap becomes more and more difficult to get out of, which ends up distracting me from doing homework, studying, or any task in general. This unhealthy relationship, to me, is almost like an irresistible addiction, pulling me into this abstract world away from reality like a magnet. In addition to being a large source of distraction and short term attention span and focus, social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook often immerse me in a world of competition. Often, I see posts of an acquaintance’s selfie, accompanied with hundreds of comments commenting on that person’s beauty. Or it’s a post of someone having the best time ever hanging out or seeing a movie with a group of friends. I see Instagram “stories” of people asking their followers to like and comment on their recent posts. For me, Instagram has almost become a competitive platform where I, as well as those around me, try to gain the most followers, whether or not I’ve even heard of the person I’m requesting to follow, and get the most likes. Often, social media platforms cause me to feel jealous of others, leading to feelings of self inadequacy. Therefore, my current relationship with social media is largely negative.
However, there certainly are positive aspects of media that have ultimately benefited me in my life. Media can be an escape from realities and stress, if, of course, used in healthy “doses.” Whether it’s watching my favorite movie online, scrolling through YouTube videos, or playing games with friends, media is a way for me to engross myself in a world away from my often monotonous daily life.
Media also exposes me to the world outside the bubble I live in, as reading the news headlines is one of my most common relationships with media. However, in our modern society, almost all of the news articles I read are based around opinions and biases, presenting the facts and statistics, but written in either a positive or negative viewpoint. I would say my relationship with the news is unhealthy, because often, these opinionated articles strongly influence my viewpoints and opinions of the world, as I don’t take the time to truly separate fact and reality from opinion. Despite this, media has allowed for me to become somewhat aware and understanding of the complexity of our world’s situation, able to develop a self-perception
of current events, people, or changes to society, whether or not these perceptions are credible.
YouTube also benefits me in several ways, including education, new music videos, and entertainment. I watch YouTube to view recent movie trailers, listen to music videos, watch clarifying videos on difficult school subjects, and watch inspirational running videos. Although this can definitely be a distraction, I strive to develop a healthy relationship with the media I use, not centering my life around media and substituting enjoyable forms of media for much more important parts of my life, using media as a supplement rather than the way I live. Media has also allowed for me to communicate effectively with others, whether it’s asking a friend for help, asking a friend to go see a movie with, or asking my parents for something important. Overall, I would say that I have varying relationships with many different forms of media, that has become integrated into the way I live, in both positive and negative ways.
of current events, people, or changes to society, whether or not these perceptions are credible.
YouTube also benefits me in several ways, including education, new music videos, and entertainment. I watch YouTube to view recent movie trailers, listen to music videos, watch clarifying videos on difficult school subjects, and watch inspirational running videos. Although this can definitely be a distraction, I strive to develop a healthy relationship with the media I use, not centering my life around media and substituting enjoyable forms of media for much more important parts of my life, using media as a supplement rather than the way I live. Media has also allowed for me to communicate effectively with others, whether it’s asking a friend for help, asking a friend to go see a movie with, or asking my parents for something important. Overall, I would say that I have varying relationships with many different forms of media, that has become integrated into the way I live, in both positive and negative ways.
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