My "Media Diet"

In this 21st century, it is hard for us not to involve in any form of media. Hence, media plays an essential role in our lives. It appears in many categories like information, news, education, entertainment, etc. Since the remarkable growth of technology, mass media become more favourable and appreciated. It brings both pros and cons to many people including me.

My journey with media began by its classic form- books. It was until the age of thirteen that I sincerely enjoyed books. Although the first book I picked was the romantic one, later on, my type was switched to literature and detective novels. The Old Man And The Sea of Ernest Hemingway will be the first title coming to my mind if somebody asks me to recommend he or she a book. This work revealed me a bigger picture of our beings’ extraordinary beauty of persistence. The next in the list will be The Silence Of The Lambs and Hannibal written by Thomas Harris. Entering the work of Harris, I feel like walking in the world of many categories of knowledge such as entomology, history, poetry, etc. However, the main focus is all on psychology. Books are the motivation in the process of shaping my thinking and personality. In other words, books complete me. Behind every story is a valuable lesson for life. The specific characteristics of this media form I favour are slow, deep and sophisticated. I always spend time reading. However, since I entered the world of the Internet, a part of my reading time has been shared with social media.

Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and Netflix are all the transportations that bring me the news, education and entertainment. There are also videos of talk show people, cute and funny pets or the business advisor base on your hobbies. They are high functioning. However, on the other hand, they tend to distract us from the information we look for or the beginning purpose we go online. Facebook caused me more time-consuming than I thought. Going over the newsfeed used to be the only thing I did before and after school, meals and sleep. Then one day, I figured it out that was not the way I want to spend every single day of my life. That was how the beginning of my “media diet” ran. Every time I pick up my phone and go to the newsfeed, I ask myself questions like “what am I doing?” or “do I know I’ll get nothing after doing this time-consuming process?”. Then I stop. Instead of the Internet, I spend more time with the ones I love and care. I tell myself that I should love them like it is the last day of my life. Since then, I will never regret not spending enough time with them. So whenever they are around, except for checking message or a piece of information, Facebook and Instagram do not stand a chance in my routine.

In conclusion, the media is only helpful when we know the limits and aims. It is hard for us to resist such a beautiful diversity of information and functions the social media has. To this “beneficial side” of the Internet, self-awareness is the thing we need to hold on tight.