My Relationship With Media

Originally, I believed that a lot of this assignment wouldn't apply to me, but apparently not. I don't use Instagram or Snapchat, so I don't have anywhere near the amount of exposure as most of my peers do. However, there was one key detail I that just kind of flew right past my head when we were assigned this: that pretty much everything we see that is used to show us as consumers something is media.

Media has had a large impact on my world view. The platform I use the most is Youtube, and through this I have experienced ideas from all over the world on franchises I like and on world events. I have also been exposed to other foreign forms of media, such as anime/manga, which is what typically fills my weekends when I'm not running for track or hanging out with friends. These platforms and more and expanded my world view and have positive and negative effects on my life.

Unlike many, I don't use Instagram or Snapchat. The only platform I use every day is Youtube. I honestly have no idea how long I spend each day on it since I use it on both my laptop and my phone. I do everything from listen to music to watching gameplay videos to commentaries, and these all affect my view on certain topics. However, while being exposed to other peoples' opinions is a good thing, it's the time I spend on it that could be worrying. It's not like I'm spending 5 hours per day watching it on the weekends, but during the weekdays, it distracts me from my homework (especially when readily available the next tab over on my laptop). I also temp myself through listening to music, since I use it in combination with Spotify when I'm doing my homework or resting after track practice. I often spend 45 minutes to an hour between my shower and homework because of this. As a result, I often fall asleep around 11-12 when I could be asleep by 10. To be honest, I think it's a good thing it's just Youtube right now. If I were using another platform such as Instagram, it would be even harder to refocus my concentration on schoolwork, and I'd be even more tempted to go back during homework to look at whatever my friend or some celebrity posted.

On the other hand, I use media to inform myself of world events. Pretty much every day before zero period when Parker isn't there for me to bug him, I'm usually reading the news. Admittedly, I do try to stay away from most of the Trump news, but politics and geography (one could say, geopolitics) has always been an important area of study in my life. In particular, I like reading National Geographic because of my liking of nature photography and their secondary focus on world events and cultures, but I also have time to do that since my granddad pays a monthly subscription for the magazine for me.
 Image result for National Geographic magazine covers

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