Defined By Media

Reon Chang
Media 384


This is probably the hardest blog post I ever had to write - not because the questions itself were difficult to answer, but because I wanted to answer honestly. I wanted to really reflect how the media has really consumed my life. And upon further reflection, I would have to say: my life is incredibly consumed by media. While I realized that it may seem like a bad thing, I do have to say that I take everything I see with a grain of salt. As a media studies major, the first thing any professor teaches you is to remain skeptical of the media. Especially with the use of technology, information is transferred/passed around so quickly that nobody, aside from the actual source, can tell lies from facts.

That being said, it might be weird for me to let media consume me. Well, whilst the media can be toxic, it can also be a way to bring a community together. I'm an avid social media user, I have been ever since the sixth grade. I have a twitter, instagram, snapchat, facebook, pinterest, you name it. Just ten minutes ago, I was scrolling through my instagram feed to see what incredible pictures people are posting. I love how the world is so connected, I love how anyone can just express their creativity, I love how I can instantly know that I'm never alone dealing with a foreign situation.

I'm not necessarily living my life vicariously through social media, rather I'm building my experience in life using social media. I find new places to try, that I would've never stumbled upon, I've met people through social media who have become some of my closest friends, I have realized so many things about myself through social media. For example, if it wasn't for youtube and other social media platforms, I wouldn't have realized that I want to be a content creator. I want to film and edit videos so other people can enjoy. I follow a great number of Influencers who have really inspired me to push myself to the next level. Here's an example of a great blog that I constantly find myself reading. http://greylayers.com/blog/
At the first glance it may seem like a fashion blog, but it's honestly just so much more. It's about creating yourself and become the best version of yourself that you can possibly be.

Thanks to social media, I have pushed myself in ways I never thought I would. Before I was active on social media, I was this incredibly shy person who was afraid to talk to people. Now, I make youtube videos, create carefully thought out instagram posts, network with people and go to different events. Putting myself out there was one of the hardest things I've ever done. And no, I don't want to just be another Asian fashion blogger (though nothing wrong with that), I want to create something different. I want to inspire people. I want people to forget their troubles for just 5-10 minutes by watching my content. I want people to feel like they belong in this disgusting world. I want people to explore and push themselves in ways they didn't was possible - the way social media affected me.  So yeah, social media is my life and I'm not afraid to admit it. It changed my life for the better, helped me tap into the creative part of me I never knew was even there. Here are some photographs I got to take because I stepped out of my comfort zone.