Intro Blog Assignment

Generally, I believe that the media has a major impact on every person. The fact that it is essentially everywhere (i.e on our phones, the Tv, computers etc) guarantees that whatever messages it’s trying to spread will .Honestly speaking; i feel that i am estranged from a majority of media, yes i do surf the web and read up on some interesting stories/news sometimes, but these encounters are few and far between. As for the creation of media: assuming that this means things such as posting on forums and such then no i have not been creating media. However if this is more generally speaking then yes i do believe that i help create media; because on the rare occasion that I find some interesting topic or story I will spread the word about, albeit mainly to my friends and family. 

As said before if I don't find anything interesting then my best source of media consumption comes from those close to me. My friends enjoy more satirical forms of media i.e memes, jokes, etc, and would bombard our group chat with non-stop pictures and links to funny(?) videos. My family lays on the whole other side of the spectrum. They are avid watchers of the news, and rugged spelunkers of facebook posts. In fact the very first time the tragic death of Kobe Bryant reached me was through my parents telling me about it when I came home from classes. In short, I don't really see myself as an avid participant in the affairs/stories of the media, but I do listen to the things I find interesting.

Unto the topic of Activists and how the media reacts to them. Honestly speaking my knowledge pertaining to these things are rather limited so many of the information I will provide will come from another source. The media has a massive hold on the general public’s views and interpretations, for it is they who decide what to show and how to show it. For example, there can be a large scale protest for equal pay for all employees in a company, this is the truth of it but media representation may tell a different story; “a mob of insatiable workers continues to refuse to work unless they receive double their already increased wage” or something along those lines. Perception, that is where I believe the majority of the media’s power over activists and protestors lie. 

Honestly, i find it rather terrifying. Imagine pushing for a change that could very well benefit everyone, only to be demonized by a faceless entity which can change how everyone views you. It can turn friends to enemies, and family to distant relatives. There is an intrinsic risk when one advocates a cause that demands a lot of changes from entities like the government or society in general, the risk of isolation, rejection, defamation, etc, but that is why i believe it is so important to take it. I commend each and every one of those individuals who stand up for positive change/a positive cause, because if they don’t who will? Activism was born to inspire others which eventually leads to change.