As many other teenagers my age would say, I think my relationship with media is overwhelming and unhealthy. I find that in any free time I have, between classes, at home, or in the car, I resort to my phone to connect with others and see what my friends are doing. Since I was a toddler, the media has shaped my life in ways stronger than I prefer through television shows, news, the radio, and most importantly for me, my phone.
For example, one of my favorite shows growing up, Hannah Montana, which I watched at least five out of seven days of the week had a big influence on me as a child. It made me want to have blonde hair, live in a big beach house, and have a closet full of new clothes and shoes that spins and is bigger than the size of my room now. Not to discredit Hannah Montana and the good morals she had taught me like loyalty to my friends and family and how “nobody’s perfect,” but I think I’d be ignorant to believe that her lifestyle didn’t have any influence on me. Now that I’m older, I think I hold myself more accountable for what I watch and listen to. I understand that looking at my phone screen and seeing other people’s lives every day isn’t beneficial for me in any way, so I try my best to limit it. When I was in middle school, I was definitely very materialistic. I saw other girls posts with their nice clothes and shoes and thought somehow if I had that too, I would be better. As a result of the music I listened to, shows I watched, and social media I connected with, I became reliant on others to make ideals for me to follow. For a while, I allowed media to practically control my life, but in the past year I have definitely become more aware on the media I consume.
Because of media, I have become very educated in subjects we learn about in school, in political issues, and some subjects we are never taught at school. In this sense, media is very valuable. Doing research on the internet has taught me about current events happening in the world that I otherwise would have no idea. For example, the ALS ice bucket challenge raised over $115 million dollars for research on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and treating patients with this disease. As an 11 year old, I thought the ALS ice bucket challenge was hilarious and spent hours watching videos of people simply dumping ice water on them. Then, I talked about the challenge with my family, and found out that it actually had a purpose, to raise money for ALS. This led me too to want to donate money to the organization. I think the ALS ice bucket challenge was a good reminder of how much good media can do for our American culture.
I hope throughout this process of analyzing media, my relationship will grow into a healthier one. I want to be more knowledgeable on what media’s purpose is for me and the people putting it out there. Ultimately, I desire a relationship with media that is only beneficial and less controlling.
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