The media, primarily technology-based media, has
never been as significant in everyday life as it is now; there is little reason
to expect a decrease in usage anytime soon (unless a major progressive shift
occurs out of nowhere). Considering how many ways people, in Western society alone,
communicate with each other, it’s hard to suggest that the media isn’t, in some
way, significant to everyone. I know I am no different than most. I, too, have,
and frequently make use of, a computer, the online services it provides, a
cellphone, a television, multiple video game consoles, a library of music, and a
radio. But what have I gotten from using them? How significant are the media to
me and how affected are my views on life and the world because of the media?
That is the question being asked today.
For as long as I can remember there has been television
in my life. It is probably the media form that has influenced me the most. This,
of course, is due to that it was easily accessible for me as a youngling and was
close to the only form of child-accessible media that existed (in its current,
mass-produced form) at the time (being a child of the 90’s). I would like to say
that as a child, for the most part, I used the television I watched to better
my worldviews and give me a positive outlook on life. My habit of watching
pro-social programming, I think, did a considerably good job at teaching me the
fundamentals of friendship, loyalty, civility, and the use of hard work as a
means of living a successful life. Unlike many, I’m sure, I didn’t have a
particular interest in then-popular shows like Pokémon or Power Rangers because
I felt that there was little to learn from them or relate to. Even certain
scenarios on programs such as Arthur or Sesame Street would be uninteresting to
me because of them being needlessly argumentative and supportive of using yelling
and screaming to solve problems (which, to me, didn’t make much sense). Needless to say I do think the media affected me negatively as a child at times, as well, when I began to get older. As more mature, not-necessarily-adult material began to enter my life, of course my curiosity of them increased. Ideas that dangerous stunts, bad language, alcohol, and drugs are normal parts of everyday life are hard to remove completely once firmly planted. The ideas, in the heads of many influential kids and teenagers, do sound appetizing and even harmless. In the end what I ended up picking up from them were questions like “why?” and “what do I get from doing this?” Of course, now, I am referring to other forms of media that I have used other than just television.
Concerning how I use the media today and how I let it affect me, I typically avoid television since most current shows seem to either reflect less-than-interesting lifestyles of the rich and brainless or showcase morbidly unhealthy morals and ethics, and the way I spend my time on the internet does not typically involve serious life topics. The time I spend on the internet mainly consists of researching for school, watching ‘Whose Line is it Anyway?’ (A show I WOULD watch if it was available), and the occasional game of Tetris. Basically I surround myself with (again I’ll say it) pro-social media to coincide with who, I feel, I am.
