I am a big media consumer, from TV to print to internet. I find that not only do I dapple in various types, but I try to encourage others to try areas out of their confort zone. For example, one of my friends only watches television, so I pushed my friend to pick up a newspaper and go to the internet. I believe that by viewing multiple sources in different types of media the ability to gain a greater amount of truth is invaluable. The time spent checking my favorite locations(facebook, yahoo.com, english.aljazeera.net, bbc.co.uk, hulu.com, youtube.com, etc) takes a good chunk of time to make sure that nothing is missed. The interesting part is while I am on the internet trying to gain a greater connection with the world, I loose the connection with what is happening in the immediate area around me. This dicotomy or paradox is something constantly on my mind as a reminder that I need to stay grounded and not get lost. As Lauryn Hill, singer/poet, once said, "check your motives and thoughts."
Mass media is in my life on a daily basis for as I mentioned above. In addition to the internet stuff, I use the tele for stress relief, fun/relaxation and to inform myself of what is. When I was younger, like many others of my generation, I had an aim account, but compared to other media outlets that is the one that I feel I have lost touch with. It is archaic and basic, where as there are other outlets, such as Skype or facebook that allow for a more interactive and personal interface for communication. Also, many people of my generation have a blackberry or just use texting. Aim is interesting in this respect because it seems to have risen in and fallen from popularity in less then ten years, representing how fast technology is turned around this day in age.
While I do seem to use media for large amounts of my life, I do not know how much a value it or see it as important. One thing is true that I am now able to remember people's names better and feel like I am connected with more people. Though when it comes down to whether it is important to me, I ask myself whether I could live without it(TV, internet, newspapers)? My answer is that while I am extremely and absurdly curious about what is going on in the world, I believe that I could live without it for the most part. The reason why I say this is I have tested myself to see if I could live without TV, internet and newspapers. I found that the first five or so days were pure torture and I wanted to just run to my computer and see what had happened since I last checked, but I eventually was ok with the idea of not having the media. Now that is all good and all, but this day in age I believe that mass media helps keep people, for the most part, honest.
When it comes to the question as to whether I view myself as an "expert" or familiar with some area of media, I see myself as someone who is knowledgable when it comes to mass media on the internet and TV, but less knowledgable in other areas. I do not believe I am an expert, because I feel as if that word carries a connotation of perfection of sorts, but at the same time I am more then familiar when it comes to the internet and tele. The reason I put myself there is because I use both things with extreme easy, where as I do not use much of any other form. Tell me what you think of this post by commenting. Well I am signing off till next time.