Reflection Time

Wow, this unit has certainly made me realize how much of a robot I am. Honestly, everything I do is highly influenced by the media and social pressures. I consume a ton of media. I literally get anxiety when I don't know where my phone is. If I can't feel it in my pocket I have this mini heart attack. It really isn't healthy. Not all the media I consume is voluntary. Where ever I turn, somebody is telling me to buy something. On ads, magazines, and posters, people are trying to reach consumers through the clutter they have created. This was talked about in the second Frontline production that we watched. Because of all the clutter that surrounds my life, I begin to center my identity around it. I try to dress like certain people and buy things that other people have. My personality and appearance start to blend into the crowd rather than shine for it uniqueness. However, this unit has also taught me how to fix this. Now that I am aware of these atrocities, I can adjust the way I let them impact me.

I would say that the only reason my media consumption has changed this semester, is because I have too much work to even think about distractions. Sophomore year has defiantly met the standards survivors have explained. There is no time for anything. Other than that, I do not believe my media patterns have changed that dramatically. I still consume that same about of media, I am just more aware of it now. For example, I might be surfing Instagram and see and ad for delicious Oreos. Before this class, I would have gone out looking for Oreos because the ads reached into my brain and pulled my Oreos lever. Now I keep this lever safe from advertisers. It it for my use, and my use only. I will eat Oreos when ever I want to. Not when they want me to.

Keeping this blog has been super cool. I didn't realize how tech savy I can be. Also, it has forced me to analyze the messages around me. I have discovered many things about the medias around me, because I had to do it for homework. Although I do not always like homework, I did enjoy these assignments. They really showed me and snapshot of what my media consists of. I think it is also really important as a writer to have other people read my work and comment on it. At first, I was sort of nerve racking having the class read my work. After a couple of posts I got more comfortable which was really cool.

As a consumer, I think it is super important to know what companies are trying to feed you. Capitalism runs the world. It is an unfortunate reality of our generation. As one little person in a world of crazy buyers, you need to differentiate yourself and not buy everything you see. It contributes to awful companies who manipulate costumers and sucks all your money away. In order to do this, consumers have to be educated. They have to learn and practice how to stay away from awful messages. The only way to do this is to educated people and set an example.

This unit has opened my eyes to so many ways that I can avoid being controlled by corporations. These media life styles scare me. Screens run our lives. They are little portable devices that depict us. We need to learn how to use it as a tool because many people are using it to define themselves. Media and the internet are for the projection of your wonderfulness. Not a definer.