My Role in Media Consumption

Mina Youn

Professor Caçoilo  

MEDIA 384

11 February 2017

Media as a Creative Space for Women

            As with most people, I consume media constantly from the moment I wake up to the moment I fall asleep. I find that I rarely go outside of my comfort zone, only looking up things I want to see, only things that interest me, and things I care about. Although I stay away from Facebook and Twitter, I actively use Instagram, Snapchat and Tumblr. I find that these social media platforms offer visual content that I enjoy more for immediate impact and aesthetic reasons. Every morning I try to read the news online, but due to time constraints and overall laziness, I usually skim headlines and only read articles I find interesting enough to click on. My biased outlook in consuming news and content limits me from understanding the wider scope in many topics and current events. There is a media tool used by the Wall Street Journal which allows you to look at very liberal and very conservative  Facebook news feeds side by side:

http://graphics.wsj.com/blue-feed-red-feed/

This tool shows how reality and people’s views can be starkly opposite and I hope it can help me gradually leave my “echo chamber” of like-minded media consumption, as the Wall Street Journal states.

            Although these kinds of skewed media consumption are inevitable, I believe that media is the best way to shed light of social issues and showcase individual talent and creativity. Websites like Etsy bring together wonderful, creative people who share beautiful handmade creations with the whole world. Blogs are the best vehicles for people  to share content globally and spread information on topics that mass media wouldn’t cover.

Currently, a lot of my web browsing is concentrated on DIY-centric, home décor and design blogs, all of which are run by women. Although I personally don’t have any design or DIY skills, I love reading and learning about how many of these women started off as regular bloggers who did what they loved and blogging eventually became their full time job. It fascinates me to see how such a media platform has the power to change people’s lives. My sister and I are planning on starting a shared blog to post about our lives as Asian Americans living in Queens, but we still have to get around to it. 

(This is a screencap of a popular interior design blog that focuses on women-run business and artists. They recently launched a book called "In the Company of Women" about creative, inspiring women who have done amazing things in business, art and culture.)