The term “Media by Alex Graham

The term “Media" by Alex Graham

It's really shocking just how broad the term “media” really is. Merriam webster defines the word media as being, "the system and organizations of communication through which information is spread to a large number of people"; however, this definition does not portray just how many different forms of media exist. After reading the wikipedia article, I was able to grasp the multitude of media sources through which we obtain information. Something as mundane as words on a birthday cake is a form of media. I believe forms of media that carry sentimental value such as a birthday cake or a handwritten letter are much more effective than other forms of media because we subconsciously tie the information presented in those sentimental forms of media to the feelings we get from that source of media. For example, if someone says "Happy birthday" to you on Facebook, it carries very little value and nobody would burst into excitement from it unless it came from someone famous or someone they really care about and that they were shocked that they remembered their birthday. if someone goes out and makes your favorite food in the shape of the words "Happy Birthday!", then you would probably tie a lot of sentimental value to those words not only because they would taste good, but because you were surprised and that form of media has sentimental value.

I personally am drawn to auditory forms of media such as songs and ebooks. I prefer these forms of media because they leave room for the imagination to build upon ideas that were skipped over. As opposed to movies or plays, where there is not much left to the viewer to imagine, audio sources provide ample amounts of detail while still letting the listener imagine details that are left out. I find myself most commonly interacting with media in the form of printed text. Printed text and media from the internet are probably the most common forms of media among college students. Since I do not watch television, it’s rare that I come across media through television; however, I do not feel as if I am missing out on important information since there are so many other sources of media today.

The media we encounter every day has so much more importance than we think. Media is increasingly becoming more social and allowing for more opinions about ideas. This is allowing for people to become more open minded about ideas while still being able to have strong opinions about topics.

Social Media

I enjoy social media, Facebook and Instagram are my two sources. I enjoy looking at pictures and seeing all the different things people post. I have always enjoyed picture book so now we have electric picture books of our own friends and family's lives. Pictures tells a 1000 words as for Facebook can be about thoughts and events that has happened in people's lives. I know this might be crazy but I like telling people about my life and how fantastic it is but also the bad, it's just reality. I like reading about people's lives and their thoughts on something. I am a nosey person that just wants to know what others are doing and when I'm struggling to know I'm not alone. I feel like it can be a big electric book that isn't published for money. When I look on social media or receive a text sometimes makes me realize how much I miss being young, actually getting to know people by voice (speaking). Back in the day the only thing you could do on your phone is talk and text. I remember life without social media and I don't think my space affect people's lives as much as Facebook and Instagram has. I will admit I will on social media everyday because I get bored and it's just something to do. It's sad when I watch the news or hear from someone that social media has contribute to a teen suicided. Others life and words should not be that powerful that you allow yourself to become addicted to social media and what people think. 

Paper copy of a book is nice so you can highlight but sometimes a electric copy is just easier to read. It's more compact and I can use my phone which I have all the time. If I knew all the ins and outs on apps when it comes to electric use I may be more likely to use electric more. I use my iPad or laptop to type papers and do research using Google. I use my phone to text people and check my Facebook and Instagram, other than that I don't have apps on my phone. I use to have an older phone because I didn't think phones where that important minus communication with friends and family. Now you can do so much more when it comes to social media and apps. 

I've played video games but never became addicted. Sometimes that's a hobby that people have and that's fine, it's a better hobby then doing drugs or something illegal. I'm not one to judge someone for enjoying something that they like to do. I personal think playing videos games in pointless and then the end you get something out of it, you die. 

Media Madness...

Boy oh boy...media really is everywhere! If you looked away from this blog post right now and gazed at your surroundings, you'd probably be able to make a sizeable list of all the media that's around you. There's probably a logo on whatever device you're using to read this blog post (which, btw, is also media!), there's probably some time of signs or flyers or posters or whatever else that have something they want you to read.

Advertisements for companies or events or anything else imaginable are a type of media; but, aside from advertising, there are so many other types of media: social media (facebook, twitter, Instagram etc.), entertainment media (television shows, movies, music, Netflix (yaass Netflix rocks) etc.) and more literally: creative media (paint, pencil, ink, wood, metal, stuff, etc.). You just really cannot escape it...

I think that it's quite simply impossible to avoid media or to not engage with it; after all, every building you ever walk through is made from some media and every object (unless you make it yourself) probably has the company name on it...and I also think that it's really easy to be drawn to different media (or even sucked into it, cause who doesn't just loveeee to watch their fave show??). I, personally have a few types that I just can't resist...

among the list are:
1. Music - I just love music, singing is great (like come on, who doesn't sing in the shower lol). And listening to it is just so enjoyable...there's music to fit every type of person and all of their moods ever...plus, watching live performances of your fave musical artist is just kind of magical...

2. t.v./movies - first off, Netflix is life and I really can't help but get immersed into characters of my fave shows or movies...they're like your fictional fam that you can watch do life things lol

(best concert ever b/c i love them a lot)

3. art stuff - crafts are so fun! and I also like to paint and doodle and what not...it's just really fun to just create a picture on paper (or canvas or whatever else...also media!)

(paintings I did for my ma)

So, basically, media madness is very real and relevant in life. It gets us to notice things and to create things and to entertain ourselves, among other things. Media is a great tool that can be used many ways by many many people.

Media in My Life

To put it simply, media is a really interesting thing. In the Oxford English Dictionary, the first definition of "mediate" (noun form) is "to act as an intermediary or a mediator." Not super helpful, but  they all have the same root word. The adjective form gives us a better definition, "intermediate; intervening or interposed in position, rank, quality, time, or order of succession."

Now, I realize that that's pretty boring and frankly, not super clear. Let's break it down a little more. The etymology of "mediate" comes from the Latin word mediatus, past participle of mediare which means to "halve" and later meant "be in the middle." That all comes from the online etymology dictionary, which I find pretty cool.

So how is that relevant to our use of media today? My interpretation of this would be to take the literal meaning of the root word: to be in the middle. Pair it with our understanding of media today (social media, the news, books, tablets, etc.). We've also got that massive Wiki list of artistic media ranging from paintings, to films, to power tools,  and we are left with an interesting concept of what "media" means to our generation, something that comes in the middle of us and information, or a message.

I'm a TV person. I love horror movies, and comedies, and TLC, and The Biggest Loser. I'm also an internet person, to an extent. Not a huge social media person, but I do dabble. I'm obsessed with music. My most beloved media outlet is through text. I am a huge nerd when it comes to reading; books, mainly, including non-fiction, classics, realistic fiction, teen romance novels, mystery novels, history textbooks, any kind of literature assigned to me in class...the only thing I really hate to read are textbooks that are math/science related. I've always been the girl to sit with my book and binge-read until my eyes were blurry. 

I think that media has revolutionized the world. (Duh.) Televisions, phones, newspapers, music; these outlets reach people in a way that has never been possible in the millions of years before. All of this stuff is serving as a platform for stuff to make its way to us, and I cant think of anything cooler than that. Before media became a thing, there was just all this knowledge floating around out there but somehow we've found a way to snag it and plant it on a tangible thing for us to absorb and learn about and love/hate/whatever. It's really a beautiful thing. 

Reading with Media

Hey Everyone!
Welcome Back!

Okay, so obviously our generation is obsessed with social media. Now, I'm talking about Twitter, Facebook, SnapChat, Pinterest, Instagram, Vine.... Literally everything popular now is considered a media.
But really social media is just a bunch of people being nosy. I know a ton of people who still have their ex-boyfriends/girlfriends as "friends" on social media and all they do is just snoop their photos and newsfeed to see what they're up too. Then, of course, there are the obligatory individuals who use social media as a platform to promote THEMSELVES rather than an idea or a cause. And we all have those other types of people who use social media to bash others in a bullying setting.
No matter what platform you use, there will always be the stalkers, the selfish, and the self-absorbed.

I'm guilty of it too! I can't resist a good selfie but I draw the line at keeping "friends" just because they passed through my life and are now irrelevant to who I am now. I, like everyone else, also have an opinion but I also draw a very dark line at overstepping my bounds on the Internet and becoming a keyboard warrior.

Now, the social media I'm a part of, I use for other things rather than myself and my family. I use it for reading.

I don't use Twitter to tweet about my mocha frap I just got at Starbucks. Because no one cares.
I use Twitter as a way to talk to people I wouldn't normally have the chance to talk to, like... Authors.

Yup. I'm one of those. After I'm done reading a great book or a not so great book, I'll tweet the author and let them know what I think. In my opinion, reviews from the NY Times can only really get you so far as a writer. I would want to know the opinions about real people reading my books. If you don't like something, tell me why. If you did love it, tell me why. I think that offering direct feedback to someone based on something of their's that I read does a great service to them.

I'm a huge Pinterest-er. But, again, I use it for reading. You can not believe how many interesting things about books are on Pinterest. I've found Pinterest boards dedicated to fashion surrounding books, tattoos (my favorite), quotes, book lists, TBR journals, literally everything!

Goodreads.com is my life. Goodreads is a social media site where you can let your "friends" know what you are reading and your thoughts on a certain book. You can rate it, review it, recommend it, buy it, join a discussion, join a book club, and even keep track of your books throughout the year. It's such a great resource to track your reading and find something new to read. But it's also a great place for like-minded individuals. Everyone there loves to read so it's highly unlikely that you'll find a mean spirited individual unless YOU are the one completely bashing a book someone else loves. But, what I like about it is that everyone is respectful of the other's opinion. Such a great tool!!! I'm seriously on it all the damn time. It's a problem.

The last social media outlet that I use to interact with individuals surrounding a love of reading is BookTube. Yup. It's a community on YouTube that centered their content on reading. BookTube really opens up a flow of conversation regarding different types of books. The majority of content creators on the site are Young Adult readers but I'm subscribed to people who read and review romances, non-fiction, and adult fiction, as well as the young-adult crowd.
The comments section really opens up the discussion between content creators and viewers, so like with Twitter, the people making the videos can interact with the people watching.
BT also has a variety of content available to it. If you like to see people "hauling" (see what they've just bought) then there's that. People "un-haul" (give away), make TBR's (To-Be-Reads) for the month, do tag videos, collaborations with other creators and authors, and even just do discussion videos. It's really addicting and opens up a new world of reading and content that I would have never have found and experienced if not for the good ol' web. :)

I use Facebook and all the other social media sites just like everyone else, but I'm not so consumed with the media that I lose focus with reality. Or maybe I am because reading itself is losing touch with reality in a way.
I support the media because of the impact it can make and the way it can open someone's mind to new opinions and ideas. Freedom of speech is a great thing but I think people need to use their speech to be open to new things and to voice their opinions in a respectful way. Using social media for a specific cause, like reading, helps me focus on what I consider important and not be wrapped up in the dark side of the net.

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!

My Media!!!

I am not the most social person in the world but like everyone else, I have ways of communicating with others. My primary method is video games. Yes, I love playing video games, who doesn't.

I got started on video games at a very young age, my first system being a Super NES. My favorite game, Earthbound. Back then a person who spent all day playing video games was regarded as an introvert and a shut-in. Those same people nowadays would not be considered those things as often because with the evolution of video games people can now talk to their friends as well as people from the other side of the planet. Video games have become just another form of communication, like Facebook.

Speaking of Facebook, I never really got into the trend with it. Mostly because I heard that once you make an account, you can never delete it. The most you can do is deactivate it and even then people can still look at it. However, despite this it seems that Facebook has taken over because whenever you do something such as signing in to a game you just downloaded on your phone, it almost always gives you the option to sign in using Facebook. I am calling it right now; eventually Facebook is going to be used just like our Social Security Number.

Don't even get me started on Twitter. I tried it once and haven't done it again. I could not understand how it worked at all, and only recently have I understood the concept of hashtags. I can't really say anymore about Twitter because I know so little about it.

Social Media has evolved and taken over. In the beginning it was created just so friends could talk and stay in contact with one another but now it has turned into a marketing scheme. 

Have you ever wondered why it is called Social Media, well here it is. It was originally called Social Networking because obviously the social part being you talking with your friends and the networking part being the series of different computers and Internet devices being used and linking together in order to communicate. Don't confuse what I am saying with the actual definitions, Social Media and Social Networking are actually two different things. However, in pop culture today people use the two terms to mean the same thing. Over the years as the Social Networking sites grew they began using advertisements, and promoting various items and as time passed Social Networking included Social Media in it an thus the terms become interchangeable.

Moody Media Moods

     Personally, I have been aware and even focused on how different media for music compliment completely different moods. If I'm conflicted about something or just bored and looking for an escape and a little adventure, I'm going to get into my car with my phone plugged into my aux cord and the volume and bass turned up. If it's late, I'm going to be listening to something calmer with my headphones on. If it's a sunny afternoon on the weekend, and I'm about to clean the apartment, I'm going to be listening to Carly Simon on the record player.

 

     Even if I was to listen to the same song through these three different media, a different effect would be instilled within me each time because of the different sound qualities and how the sound is localized and dispersed differently through each media. It is great to have all three forms, and one doesn't seem to lack anything that the other has. It's just about using the right medium during the right time.

     The second types of media I'm most focused on would be the different forms for watching movies. Deciding where to watch a movie isn't as much about deciding which mood you are in as when listening to music, mainly because you can only access certain movies at certain places. Nonetheless, the different locations do have different feels to them. If I want to be laid back and not fully invested in the story, I'm going to watch a movie I find while flipping through the channels on my TV. If I'm really interested in the storyline, I'm going to watch it on my laptop on Netflix with my headphones on. This makes me feel more personally involved with the storyline and characters. However, if I'm looking for a full on experience, I'm going to go to the theater that has the big screen and surround sound. Here the storyline does not matter as much than if I was to watch a movie up close on my laptop due to the added effects the theater provides, but it does matter a little more than if you were to watch a random movie on the TV because you are trapped in the auditorium and completely enclosed  by the sounds and visuals. 

     As noted so far, I'm interested in the effects of sounds and visuals when I seek out entertainment, so as far as social media goes, I mainly stick to Instagram where the focus is on the pictures, and you can even add short little clips with sound. When trying to get a message across especially on social media, I believe visuals are the best forms because they have the potential to convey so much more in a stronger way and in much less time. Instagram even allows you to add a caption, if it's needed, to further direct the thoughts of your followers when they look at your post. Instagram is even good for saying nothing at all and posting a picture of your cat or the shoes you wore for the day.

     If I do want to actually sit down and read something, I want all the details. I want to feel the full capacity that the ordering of words can bring, so I also want full control of my experience. I want to be able to hold a hardcopy and flip back and forth throughout the story as freely as possible. With reading on a screen, there is something that makes the reading experience a little more impersonal. Screens are for visuals, and while reading, you are more in control of your entertainment experience since all you have to work with is words. It's better to have the right tools to be more in control. Something hands-on like the pages of a book give off that hands-on effect.

Way back when, I had a MySpace page. It was awesome...

Way back when, I had a MySpace page.  It was awesome...

This relic is a Myspace profile I stole from the web.

Customizable background settings and a music loop, sweeeeeeeet.  Until it got tired, which was fast.  I was quickly over the angsty music and the "Top 8," and then I was told of something all the cool college kids were doing in 2008... Facebook.

It was so damn hard to choose!!

What in the name of all that is delicious is Facebook?  Believe it or not, it was hard for me to jump ship from Myspace to Facebook, I mean... I was friends with The Creator.  Seriously we all were.  Tom was our friend.

Hey Tom...

I use Facebook on a regular basis.  It's almost second nature to share stuff.  Well...getting close to first nature.  I'm actually the Social Media Director for Blazer Radio, so I guess it's like my job too.

I use Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest... but I will not Sanpchat.  I loathe Snapchat.  I abhor Snapchat.  Actually, I've never used it.  Ever.  I don't understand it.  A capacity to text and send pictures but the messages expire?

Well crap, I liked my phone... throw it, throw it now!!!

Guessssss I'll be needing a new phone... yeah, no...

Hey dumbasses, it's called a screenshot... none of your little messages will disappear if we don't want them to.  That makes them forever.  So I don't trust Snapchat, nbd.  I do like Instagram, I'm a bit of a photo fiend.  Twitter... meh.  I use it, but I'm no slave to my Twitter feed.  I guess I find the term "tweeting" a touch demeaning.

The cool thing about social media is that despite its highly interactiveness... and personalization capacity; it is an area for our brains to upload and download news.  We choose the stories we digest and redistribute.  Sometimes we rant and other times we seek info.  It's pretty awesome considering when I was a kid we had nightly news and newspapers and... well I guess radio.  We have more access in our phones than I had in most of my youth combined.  That's pretty elfin cool if I do say so myself.

The other cool thing about these sites of mediation is that everyone owns the capacity to generate news.  Like this Blogger site we're using... look at us, we're media creators.  Everyone can share their own perspective, their own understanding.  Gone are the days that we had our news force fed like medicine with no spoon full of sugar. 

Oh hey Mary...



She's really a nice lady, I promise.  So get out there and real Will Shakespeare's Twitter feed or follow whatever musical muse has garnered your attention on Instagram... it's only stalking if you label it.  The media is here to mediate between us an the real world, so let's do it!!

ALL THE MEDIA!

If you are not yet aware of the fact that media is not limited to film and television...I don't know how to tell you this, but you're wrong. Even Wikipedia knows that the term "media" is sort of an umbrella for things such as literature, film, photography, electronics, sound, architecture, and even food! Each of these things portray the information differently and therefore make the viewer have a different opinion about the information being presented to them.

If I wrote you a 12-page paper with attached graphs about the science behind why Taco Bell is delicious, you'd get bored. If you watched a commercial, you may be a tad more interested, and if you were to eat it yourself (and actually enjoy it) you'd believe that information even more so! Perhaps that is only because we are a generation that grew up behind a screen, so watching a screen in order to obtain information is normal to us.

I think the type of media that a person is willing to respond to the most, is completely dependent on their specific interests. If the individual finds great pleasure in reading or writing, it only makes sense that they would prefer to get their information by reading the newspaper for example.

Personally, I prefer the wonders of social media. I think that most people my age would agree when I say that social medias are the best way to receive information because they are fast, easy to use, and revolve around us.

Through the internet and social media, information, regardless what it is about, is presented immediately and in as few words as possible. The readers get the general idea of something without being overwhelmed by pages of story, and if they are interested, they can "click the link to learn more".

Most social media cites have similar concepts so that people can navigate with ease. You have your account where you can view just your posts. Then there's your "feed" which is full of posts from people you follow. You can also search for a topic or a specific person if you're looking for something or someone new to follow.

Social medias also try to make the users feel special. Facebook is where you post pictures and statuses of yourself and sometimes the things going on around you such as the local news, Twitter is a place to talk about your opinions, and Instagram is used to share pictures of your daily life. This makes this form of media more personalized and appealing.

I think that if more assignments for school had to do with different types of media, specifically social media, I would be a lot more excited about doing them. When working with a familiar and comfortable platform, it is far easier for the student to succeed than just reading and taking notes.

But as I said before, it all depends on the individual.

All media is important

It’s pretty obvious that there are endless forms of different media, some of which have been around forever.  We use media to communicate with others and express ourselves.  For example, we have literature, films, photography, the performing arts, and many more.  However, now we have forms of social media that seem to appear overnight.  It’s almost impossible to try to keep up with.  Do you have an account on the newest social media app?  I probably wouldn’t know how to use it yet, but it wouldn’t hurt to try it out.

I think that all forms of media should be embraced because they all have something a little different to offer.  Reading a book and watching a film are two separate experiences, even if they are each telling the same story.  Painting a picture would allow me to create and express whatever I wanted, while taking a photo might limit me to show what is already in front of me.  These different forms of media can pretty much be enjoyed by everyone.  There aren’t many people who would say they hate listening to music or watching movies.  But for some reason, a lot of people seem to dislike media that involves newer technology.  Maybe it’s because we haven’t quite gotten used to the new technology yet, but I don’t think these new ideas should be rejected so easily.  Just like older forms of media, these “new” types can still be viewed as ways to communicate and express ourselves. 

Of course, I still think it’s fair to prefer certain forms of media over others.  Most days, I would probably rather watch a movie than read a book.  In regards to social media, I would prefer to use Facebook over Twitter.  One type of social media that I use the most would be Snapchat.  I know a lot of people see it as pointless, but I see it as a way to keep up with my friends that I don’t see that often.  Instead of texting them all the time (which I don’t like to do anyway), we can send snapchats to show each other what we are currently doing in our lives. 

My main point is that all forms of media have something different and valuable to offer.  Some types may only appeal to certain people, but that doesn’t mean it is useless or pointless.  Each different form can be used for something different and we can find new information in each place we look.  

"It's Complicated": Meditations on Media

Can you imagine how people wrote research papers pre-Internet? They actually had to look in books! Can you imagine how time consuming that would be?! When I need the definition of word? Do I pick up a DICTIONARY? No. I Google it. BTW, there is something to be said that the name of a company is now a verb! But why do I Google a definition instead of picking up a dictionary? One word: Accessibility.  I don’t own a dictionary and I probably never will (lets be serious, that $10 or so could go towards a nice cold brew). I can hop on my laptop, IPad, Iphone, what have you and look up the definition in 10 seconds flat. BOOM.

However, I do and will always have an adoration for print. I love books and absolutely cannot read a novel electronically. And think this stems from my passion for literature. Great works of literature where not accessible on an IPAD when they were written. Books, words on a piece of paper, should be cherished like they were back in the day. And I am someone who enjoys sharing a book with someone else, and well, I am NOT going to let someone borrow my Ipad. I also love a handwritten letter. When someone writes you a letter, you know they took the time and the effort it takes to actually write with a pen or pencil. There is something visceral about it, like there is a part of that person on the paper.  An email with the very same words seems stale and too formal. I also take notes the old-fashioned way with paper and pen. To me, writing is more fluid. I can listen and write easier than I can type and listen, even though I type faster. I feel like when I am handwriting notes, I am digesting the information better than if just I typed it.

I see the various benefits and pitfalls of media, particularly social media platforms.  I’m pretty sure I recently saw an article title (I didn’t actually read the article) comparing Facebook to a drug. I hate to say it, but it’s true. Social media is addictive. When I wake up in the morning, the very first thing I do is grab my phone and check my email, Facebook,  Instagram, and Snapchat. Do I feel particularly excited when I wake up and check these sites? No. It just seems like another part of my daily routine like brushing my teeth. I use these sites to keep in touch with family and friends and as a way to share aspects of my life with them. Social media provides us with this sort of detached way to share our lives; it is not the same when you tell someone the same exact thing over the phone or in person. That is too intimate. Face to face interactions are reserved for those closest to me. And I think that it is extremely important to recognize that there are connections that must be valued outside of social media.

 

Wow, I haven’t really reflected this much on media; I feel like I could write a 20-page paper on it!

My Media View

        After looking at all the various forms of media that was listed on the Wikipedia page and Mr. Angello’s lecture has really expanded my view on the aspect of the different types of medias that we encounter every day. I personally am the type of person that gravitates to the aspect of sound, visual,film, and social medias. Prior to this I have never thought about this aspect; however, when I look back think of all the past books I have read. For example, in high school I had to read “A Tale of Two Cities”, when I first stated reading the novel, it was so hard for me to understand who was saying what, and the tune that the characters were trying to portray.

         Since I had a hard time understanding the novel, I did not enjoy the novel at all. After a couple of days of reading it my teacher suggested to me that I should look for a recording of the book. This was very helpful in many ways. By having the audio version and the hard copy of the book I was able to follow along and understand the book a lot better. With using this from of media did not only help me understand “A Tale of Two Cities”, I also started to enjoy the novel! 

               

         That being said I am also the type of person that I tends to lean more to films and visuals to grasp a better understanding.  One thing I tend to do is if I read a book and then see the movie. I know there is usually a big difference, and the movies tends to ruin your figment of imagination of what you had of the characters of the book. However, I personally enjoy it seeing how others portrayed the movie and to see a different aspect. This goes the same for social media. I'll admit it I am on my phone all the time checking every form of social media; therefore, when I can compare something in literature to a something on social media it makes me have a better understanding of things. For example, how Marie Antoinette lifestyle can be compared the life of Kim Kardashian. By comparing these two really made to have a better understand of how Marie Antoinette was. With all these different forms of medias in our everyday lives it has personally helped me gain a better understanding of what many authors are trying to represent through their work.