My Relationship With Media

11/25/18

For as long as I can remember media has always played a role in my life. I know I started all my accounts on social media when I was young, around the time I was 10. Which I think is really young for a kid to be exposed to such influential platforms. I only signed up for all these accounts because my older friend pushed them on me but since I signed up I never thought of logging off, there have been breaks but they're never very long and they never change my perspective enough to quit all social media.

The different types of media allow me to be connected to all my friends and follow the people I look up to which is definitely unhealthy because I see myself looking at other peoples lives and feeling jealous of what they have. I know I shouldn't be jealous but I can't help it because their lives look so glamorous. But I have to look away and think that that's not their real life. I know majority of people only post the good parts of their life. I know this because even I do this, I only post what I want people to see which is usually a vacation picture or me hanging out with my friends. I don't share all the fights and punishments and mistakes I've made because I don't want to share that part of my life with others. By doing this I put myself in a bubble. I go onto social media and it's like I'm a different person without any problems. Which is fun in the moment but when I snap out of it I realize how much I've altered the perception of the real world. But when I see how removed from reality I get I try and take a break.

Without social media I find that I have so much more time on my hands. I'm able to manage my workload and I have more time for more productive activities and it really feels great. But I'm addicted to all the posts and all the videos that I can't stay away for long no matter how good it feels. I always get drawn back in which is really unfortunate. Even though it feels so good to be away I'm so addicted to it I keep coming back for more.

But even during my breaks from social media I feel I'm still surrounded by other forms of media such as the news. Even though I don't watch the news because listening and watching all the chaos in the world scares me I can easily walk through the house and can hear the T.V. talking about the new stories my dad's listening to. So it's actually really hard to get media completely out of my life. Even if it isn't for long.

Every time I go back it's like I'm brought into a whole new world because a lot changes even if it's just a small portion of time. Like the new product the influencers are pushing can change and I instantly feel like I need it just because everyone has it. And the ads are pushed on me so often until the point where I buy it because I feel I need it. And what's even worse is by the time I buy the product there's another product that the ads are pushing on me.

I've been exposed to media for so long it'd be hard for me to quit on the spot no matter how badly I want to. It's such a big part of my life and in one word to describe my relationship with the media would be addiction. Media is such a big concept in the world today and I feel the need to keep up with it rather than be left behind.