God, I consume so much media on a daily basis. Prior to these media blogs, I knew I was a little cell phone obsessed, but I had no idea just how many ads or how much television I interacted with on a daily basis. My social media was nonexistent and I felt semi-free from technology; in other words, I fancied myself way less impacted by media than many of my peers. However, I realized that I actually spend upwards of one hour on my phone every day, in addition to (most days) watching at least an hour of TV. This blog forced me to attempt to reconcile my preconceived self-perceptions with everything I was discovering about my media habits, and, ultimately, to face the conclusion that I am an addict. Worse, nearly every Gen Z or millennial is an addict. Our drug of choice? Relentless exposure to media. Of course, there are exceptions, but young people in general (myself most definitely included) can't live a day without music. Or Instagram or Snapchat. Or their phones or tablets or laptops or any number of the plethora of devices today's teenagers all seem to own. Our exposure to media never seems to end. It's incessant, and, to put it quite frankly, more than a little insane. The most prevalent problem facing today's youth is no longer an epidemic of opioids, but rather that of the 'droids owned by a rapidly growing (up) segment of the population.
It took me nearly a semester of Critical Thinking and six weeks of this Media Blog to come to even these most basic realizations. In an effort to understand the media I consume, I now scan most commercials I see to try to discover common advertising techniques. I actually listen for subliminal messages in my favorite songs. But for people who haven't had the luck to take a Critical Thinking course (i.e. gullible six-month-ago Sofia), the constant media exposure is a thousand times worse.
Before this class, I rarely, if ever, questioned the media I consumed. I listened and watched mindlessly. Like most people, I was, and still am, particularly susceptible to celebrities. Famous folks have the power to start trends, by endorsing both products and movements. Women have been calling men out on sexual assault for centuries, but the #MeToo and Time's Up movements (supported by celebrities from Reese Witherspoon to Lady Gaga) became catalysts for global change. Conversely, Roseanne Barr's Twitter rants in late May sparked nationwide waves of racism and anti-Semitism. And, of course, when mentioning Twitter and barrages of bigotry, we can't about our oh-so-beloved president.
Donald Trump uses logical fallacies in nearly every one of his tweets. His personal favorite, however, seems by far to be Ad Hominem. Just hours after leaving the G7 summit this weekend (missing the climate change talks, by the way) Trump released a string of tweets criticizing other nations and promoting extreme tariffs. In the process of berating several world leaders, he called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "dishonest and weak." These personal insults would be rude coming from anybody, but out of the mouth (well, Twitter feed) of the president of the United States, they are unacceptable and simply appalling.
Trump is an example of why we need to be more conscientious of our media intake. A large number of his avid devotees trust in him to an almost godlike extent. Many of his fans only receive their news from his tweets, which have, on multiple occasions, contradicted science and facts. Solely reading libelous, and at times untrue, information can only lead to one outcome: rabid, damaging hate, which stems from utter ignorance. It's our responsibility not to blindly accept what we see or hear. Whether it's in advertising or on the news, we need to look farther and deeper than the surface.
Do I think I use too much media? Absolutely. But that's because the majority of the media I interact with is shallower than Lake Tahoe during a drought in July. I have no problem with media, as long as it's being analyzed thoroughly. I also don't think the media itself should be totally devoid of depth, but a lot of people would disagree with me about that.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go write my hourly Buzzfeed article on which celebrity had toast for breakfast and the long-lasting ramifications of such a serious choice. Ta-ta!
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