Media Reflection

I would say that I’ve always consumed a lot of media, but writing this blog has made me think about how much I’m really immersed in it. I probably spend anywhere from one to four hours on social media or youtube daily. Outside of that, I live in a semi-urban neighbourhood within walking distance of school, so I don’t see much in the ways of advertising or media on a day to day basis. I also frequently discuss televisions shows or video games with my friends, though how much depends on what has come out recently and how much homework I have. Media can sometimes cause me to delay getting work done by distracting, and generally makes me less productive. Being aware of my consumption hasn’t really changed my interactions with the media, as I still just about never buy anything because of an ad, but it has caused me to see marketing campaigns as more deceptive and often manipulative. My media consumption habits seem to have changed a little this semester, as I think that I’ve gotten better about not using social media, especially when I need to do homework. I would attribute most of my changes in media consumption this semester to my constant illness though, as opposed to this class. Having nothing to do for so long really burned me out on watching videos and shows, but at the same time the sickness drained so much of my energy that I wasn’t and still am not really capable of getting work done after school, causing me to fill the time with media or sleep.

Despite that, I did get some things out of keeping this blog, even if it didn’t affect my consumption a ton. For one, it allowed me to practice writing articles about topics of my choice, which probably improved my writing a bit, and with a few entries I just had fun doing them. I’m also more literate when it comes to media, and I understand better how advertising and social media tries to profit off us by appealing to certain needs we have. By understanding the needs we have, and how ad companies appeal to them, we can make more informed and impartial decisions on how to spend money and time. That aside, just knowing what needs we tend to have as people makes it easier to understand ourselves and others.