Summer Media Series: Entry 1

This post is a reply to THIS video! I am taking a media class right now & took a poll on my Instagram stories to see if you guys would be interested in reading my papers for the class. 78% of you voted yes. So here is my first post in this little summer series:

"Turk’s video is engaging. This media stimulates human reflection & self evaluation. As I watched the video I noticed myself thinking, “yep, yep, I’ve done that, yep.” I do admit I have stared at a blank phone screen to avoid interacting a time or two. I have also been in a room full of people where no one is socializing because of technology. However, I started to think about my life experiences & how technology has influenced me as a 90’s baby. Personally I feel I am really good at managing my technical devices. I feel I use my devices & the media on them for good as much as possible.

First of all, I am on my phone a lot but it is never for games. I’m not hating on the gamers out there but it’s just not my thing. I use my phone mostly for scheduling (all hail google calendar), emails, texting important information, photo editing & dun dun dun… Instagram.  

Instagram has, believe it or not, played a large role in my life (insert eye roll here). I’ve been able to develop my photography skills, develop an editing style & put my creative projects out for others to see through this social media platform. Instagram has helped me become a successful freelancer. I paint commissions & teach private dance lessons. I am a freelance choreographer, freelance photographer & a freelance graphic designer. I’ve never had to advertise, all my clients have come through Instagram & word of mouth. I agree with Turk when he says we “edit & exaggerate” on social media & our captions have to be in “perfect order”. Then he asks, “Is anyone even listening?” I mean this in the most humble way, but I know that people care about my story & they genuinely like what I post. Over the past two years as I’ve posted high quality photos & shared my life experiences, people react. Note, I share the good, the bad & the ugly. I’ve received hundreds of direct messages with people thanking me for sharing; How it helped them through a hard time, gave them hope, or how my embarrassing moment made their day. I’ve even had random strangers come up to me at the movie theatre, grocery store & the moms of girls I teach dance to say that a specific post helped them or someone close to them. From there we were able to continue the discussion, learn from one another & develop a relationship. That to me, is pretty amazing.

I do see the downfalls of having technology all around us. Yesterday as I was leaving the dance studio where I teach, I passed all the moms in the hallway waiting to pick up their daughters. Some of the moms had their other little kids as company. All the moms were on their phones & all the little kids were playing on tablets. If I am not aware, I will stay on my phone for hours, wasting a lot of time. When I am at home, the first thing I do is plug my phone into the charger and I leave it there. By plugging my phone in, I prevent myself from wasting any time. If someone really needs me, they will call & I’ll be able to hear it. When I am at work, school or doing homework I put my phone in my bag on airplane mode or on silent.

I don’t feel like I disagree with anything in Turk’s video. My opinion is that this can be a problem for a lot of people in society but I also feel like it is circumstantial. There are very few things & topics you can whitewash as being “bad” or “good”. Media & technology is not one of them."

Do you agree? Do you disagree? Please leave a respectful response in the comments. I would love to hear your view on this topic!!

​xoxo, Lexie