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.