Experiential Reflection Essay

Experiential Reflection Essay Allison Brown HP 3152: Mass Media and Collective Consciousness Professor Molina April 19, 2021 It is estimated that in the current global population of 7.9 (billion), 4.6 of the population are “avid internet users” (Statistica 2021), accessing social media sites and gaining their sense of the world from the internet. With such a large population utilizing the internet, it presents a dichotomy of good, with more content creators than ever sharing their lives globally, and a new way to connect in a world where COVID-19 has forever impacted our “in-person” relationships with each other and how we interact with the internet and media both as consumer and content creators. In contrast to these benefits of internet use though stands addictions to technological devices, unhealthy use of social media sites, and arguably a decrease in humanity’s face-to-face interaction that existed before COVID-19, but has only been spurred on with isolation and the need for technology in the past year to attend school, work, and connect as people. Over this past semester, I have reflected on my technology use and contemplated how I fit into the global society that consumes and creates media online. I find the prospect of being an “instrument of media” to be both empowering and terrifying simultaneously. The notion that content we create, be that a simple Instagram post of our dog in front of a nature scene or a presentation that is published onto a university database, we are contributing to the global human society. Although some may argue that posting a simple photo of something on social media is unnecessary, it’s clear that this adds to the world’s understanding of one another and ultimately document human history. It’s becoming increasingly clear that traditional media is losing its place in society, what we post on social media and publish today will serve as a mode of understanding for future researchers to understand the turbulent times we live in today. The COVID-19 pandemic will be shown through masks in selfies or the Black Lives Matter movement will be exemplified through Snapchat live streams of protests. This is an empowering thought, that we today are guiding the narrative and how our 1 generation could be remembered. However, at the same time, this thought is terrifying. If what we create and produce online is our historical record, it’s a heavy responsibility to bear. We have to be conscious of what media we are creating and uploading. I consider myself an instrument of media in these ways, although I don’t post much, my occasional Twitter retweet or Instagram post impacts how others globally interact with each other. Over the course of the next ten years, I can foresee myself continuing to add to society as an instrument of media in similar ways. It’s intriguing to consider how my role could increase in the creation of this global history I refer to earlier in the following ten years of my life. The finite element I can add expect is a publication of an Honors Capstone Project that will be uploaded into the University of Wyoming Library for future students here at the university to review and exist on a world stage. I imagine I will be a part of other more substantial contributions to the media, but as a sophomore in college, it can be difficult to conceptualize what my life will look like in ten years let alone the impact it may have on collective human society. Earlier in the semester, my technology fast and technological-use reflection provided insight into how I use my devices and consume media. In these acts of reflection, I realized that I have developed a technological relationship that has become stagnant and cyclical. I find that more often than not my relationship with social media and my devices is toxic, I feel guilty when I check them during the “school day” and work, but I relish absent-mindedly using them as a reward for myself after achieving the day’s purpose. This exercise of thinking about my use of technology has also led to a realization that I feel neither stimulated nor depressed when using my devices, whether 2 they’re for online-video classes or scrolling, I find that I have no reaction really to my devices in any way. They’re simply just there. And a part of my life that is inseparable during this global pandemic. After all, not living on campus and taking all of my classes online, my devices really are the only way I can communicate with the university community, my friends and family, student groups on campus. Without them, I would have no connection. This is why I find that my relationship with my devices is troubling, this lack of feeling in general about having and using it, but not in any way abnormal during this ongoing global pandemic. Moving forward with my technological use and social media, I would like to be more proactive with setting boundaries for myself. It’s easy to say now that once COVID-19 is “over” and we can all return to in-person “normal” that I will establish healthier habits with my devices, but I understand that this is not realistic given my recreational use of technological devices. My future relationship with social media and my technology is one that I think I will constantly be trying to reframe and rework, setting new limits and changing my usage as my life changes when I go back to in-person classes and later graduate college. There is no universally right way to create and consume media, but there are ways that can feel healthier and more productive overall for our individual lives. I strive to reach that point in my relationship with technology while acknowledging this will be more complex in the future, with more devices and technological abilities drawing us into the digital world, for better or worse. In conclusion, this course has truly made me examine my uses of technology and social media not only over this semester but over the past few years of my life. This course and understanding these relationships have been undeniability tied to COVID3 19, which has greatly shaped how I examine my technological use. I look forward to applying the skills and knowledge I have in my future relationship with technology and the media. Bibliography: 4