Status With Media: Less Complicated


     Throughout this semester, my relationship with media has definitely changed. I have become more aware of the subtle messages that media sends us, and have become aware of the different techniques they use. The concepts we learn about in class, from fallacies to advertising techniques are all something that I am now hyper-aware of. Whenever I see an ad, a billboard, or walk into a store, I observe more carefully than I did before the implicit messages that the company is sending. Though I was observant of media before and tried to not be susceptible to advertising, now I am more aware and therefore I can truly be aware of the inherent messages media is sending to me. Therefore, I don't feel as though I'm as easily influenced as I was at the beginning of the semester. I was relatively unaware in comparison to the knowledge I have gained now. I feel as though I armed with weapons of knowledge to navigate the media driven world that we live in now.


      In addition to me gaining more knowledge, I feel as though I have significantly lowered my media intake. I don't look at social media as much as I did at the beginning of the semester, and significantly lowered how much TV I watch. I have been focusing more on the relationships that I am forming with people, and the relationships I already have. I definitely lowered the amount of time I spend on my phone, except when it comes to talking to people, and my social media intake is significantly less. I feel like this goes hand in hand with the new awareness I have gained around media, and the new knowledge that I use to truly analyze the messages media is trying to send me and the usually harmful effect of those messages. This disconnect with media has been a welcome experience in my already busy life, and truly allowed me to open myself up to the other experiences life has to offer.
     Overall, I enjoyed this class. It changed the way I view media, and how I approach it. I am warier and aware of the subtle implications of media's messages and feel more knowledgeable. I feel as though I have a better understanding of media as a whole, but I also feel as though there is a lot more I can learn when I engage in a media analysis of my own outside of this class, using the knowledge I have gained. Being aware is usually a good thing, especially in a deceitful, hard to navigate world such as ours. Though I was already wary of the media messages I received, I definitely now have the specific knowledge to back up my suspicions and be able to understand media.  I feel as though this class was a valuable experience overall and my view of media and how to navigate it has definitely changed, for the better.

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