Hey! My name is David Margolin. I'm a Hunter freshman who is obsessed with Twenty One Pilots and bubble tea. My relationship with media? Well, it's very one sided. I tend to be much more of a consumer than a producer. And I'm a consumer in more ways than one. Yes, I'm the average 18 year old Facebook, Reddit, and YouTube user but media isn't just for ingesting content. For me, and probably most everyone else, media also impacts my views and ideas. From what I wear to how I communicate, the media is always there to keep me in check.
Virtually my entire personality is based on my consumption of media. Some days I find myself using 'bae' or 'turnt' or 'squad' and within a month, I've switched to 'lit' and 'on fleek'. The media is also the intermediary for most of my social life. I've likely spent more time messaging, calling, or 'Skyping" my friends than hanging out with them in real life. My entire view of 'attractiveness' is also heavily influenced by popular culture. Finally, one of the media's most important impacts is the ability to make me spend money. Two Shirts. Exactly the same material, the same color, and the same durability. If Kanye announces that one of the shirts is his favorite, chances are, that has made my purchase decision. Unfortunately for Kanye, I'd probably buy the opposite shirt :p
But is media alignment the worst thing in the world? I'd argue that while complete surrender to popular culture would be devastating, media influence can, in many ways, be positive too. A great example of that is the MTA's recent subway etiquette ad campaign. Almost every car on every train is covered in "man-spreading", track safety, and cleanliness banners. These types of public service announcements aren't necessarily trying to get me to buy a product, but rather encourage to be respectful to others. There's nothing wrong with that.
So when it comes to media consumption, I might be addicted but there's no shame in that.
Virtually my entire personality is based on my consumption of media. Some days I find myself using 'bae' or 'turnt' or 'squad' and within a month, I've switched to 'lit' and 'on fleek'. The media is also the intermediary for most of my social life. I've likely spent more time messaging, calling, or 'Skyping" my friends than hanging out with them in real life. My entire view of 'attractiveness' is also heavily influenced by popular culture. Finally, one of the media's most important impacts is the ability to make me spend money. Two Shirts. Exactly the same material, the same color, and the same durability. If Kanye announces that one of the shirts is his favorite, chances are, that has made my purchase decision. Unfortunately for Kanye, I'd probably buy the opposite shirt :p
But is media alignment the worst thing in the world? I'd argue that while complete surrender to popular culture would be devastating, media influence can, in many ways, be positive too. A great example of that is the MTA's recent subway etiquette ad campaign. Almost every car on every train is covered in "man-spreading", track safety, and cleanliness banners. These types of public service announcements aren't necessarily trying to get me to buy a product, but rather encourage to be respectful to others. There's nothing wrong with that.
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| MTA subway etiquette campaign banner. |
So when it comes to media consumption, I might be addicted but there's no shame in that.
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