"Media surrounds us. Like fish immersed in water, we swim constantly through media, which develop and shape our perceptions, goals, desires, and beliefs." (Warren & Fassett, 211)
Looking into more depth of this quote within Chapter 11 of our textbook, I couldn't help but reflect on some of my own personal experiences with the media and my communication with the media. I look at social media as an inspiration and an idol to mirror, when really I shouldn't even give it an ounce of my attention. However, I give way more attention to the media than what is actually needed. The media is where news, words, and "inspiring" people can make you feel and think about the world around you. It can change how you see yourself, it can encourage you to do (sometimes irrational) actions that can change your surroundings, and it can make you look at things differently than you normally would have. The media thrives on it's negativities, and shuts down positive promotions almost instantly.
The media is a very interesting tool in the world of communicating with others. For example, Instagram is all about posting the "perfect" self or life within a picture. If your picture doesn't show/ emphasize that perfect reality than it's not worth posting. At yet, when we try to post a picture that shows "the true us", it still follows the same standards and "worthiness" of a the perfectly filtered picture. Even when we strive to put our reality into the world of the media, it continues to follow the norm of the media's standards. Negativity, perfection, and chaos is what the media encourages. We all fall to the hands of the media, whether we participate in it or not, we are always surrounded by the media within even the smallest things.
I found that Instagram is one of the perfect examples as to why is changes how people communicate, act, and live their lives. Instead of just living in the moment, we live in capturing the moment.
Is Instagram harsh on mental health?
Instagram and Self-esteem
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