Media Frenzy

Sometimes I wish that I had been born before a time of "media." I've always enjoyed a face to face connection more than seeing someone through a computer, a phone, or reading a message they had written. There are many advantages to these aspects of media. For example, getting to see long distance relatives, loved ones, or friends in some form of "face to face." It has helped to create relationships between people that would have never made the initiative in person. It's not that I'm against media in any form, it's that I think we are making it a part of our everyday lives. It's slowly becoming another appendage for the human race.

Of course after preaching about the negative effects, I find myself making a list of all the media I interact with on a daily basis, and it's A LOT. I'm on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter daily. I use my IPad and phone daily. TV is one of the only apparatuses of media I do not use on a daily basis. Do I want to be "one of those people always on their phone?" Absolutely not. Unfortunately, all of these things play a significant role in my life. Social media helps me to keep in contact with family when I'm just too busy to have a full blown phone conversation because of work or school. The internet helps me to find answers to questions faster than researching through a book would. Having portable devices that act as books, notepads, or documents reduces the amount of paper being used in the world.

I make sure that there are times in my life when I am media-free! I have specific guidelines to when I feel it is appropriate to be on my phone, iPad, or MacBook. As I said in the beginning, I value face to face, one on one, human interaction more than anything. I am not on my phone when I'm at home spending time with my animals or boyfriend. I am not on my phone when I'm out to dinner with family or friends. I definitely make a valiant effort to not fall into the consumption of technology. I still take the time to read a book, paint, shoot photographs, run, or walk my dog.

Media has it's positives and negatives just like everything in the world. I just want every one to be concious about which attributes their deciding to emphasize. Everything is better in moderation!