My Relationship with Media

Media - the man behind the curtain, the autocrat of my mind. While I would prefer to deny it, it's impossible to brush over the role media plays in my life. Before this year, I lacked the understanding of media’s ever present control over my life. I considered 'media' to be the apps on my phone; instagram, snapchat, twitter, etc. It is all of these things, but also so much more. It is the television shows I watch, the movies I see, the books and newspapers I read, the ads that surround me. Media is the source of all communication I have with the outside world, it's where I get the majority of my information. My understanding of current events, politics, and

social movements are predominantly derived from social media, as is the same for most teens. When I was in the seventh graded, I was given my first phone, a lot later than most of my peers the time. Being denied this privilege for so long, (or at least it seemed so in my brain) led to my immediate abuse of it. Watching youtube and scrolling through instagram until I thought my eyes would fall out was a common routine for me. I was addicted to media, specifically social media. Eventually all the time  spent on a screen made me feel nauseous and thanks to a lot of self reflection I cut down my consumption of media. I deleted the apps youtube, snapchat, and twitter. I have not had them back since.

Regardless of these ‘media detoxes,’ I initiated, I still consume media at an alarming rate. It wasn’t until recently that I become fully aware of how media warped my political views and I began to learn how to have my own opinions. I know that media in the form of advertising especially greatly impacted the way I thought females were supposed to look which greatly harmed my mental health during middle school, similarly to many teens.

I do believe there have been a lot of positive side effects of media within my life, however. As long as I remember to filter information and check it for accuracy, media can be very educating. It can connect me with people around the world, and gives me access to varying perspectives on any said issue. If I had the choice I do not think I would want to give it up.

While media can be very unhealthy, I believe it is up to determine how they consume it. It is both exceptional and awful, but there is no black and white way to view it. Through self reflection and self awareness I think we are all capable of bettering our relationship with media, but it is a responsibility we all carry regardless of whether we want it. I hope to continue to better my relationship with media as I get older.