Reflection

This class and this unit in particular, have brought to my attention how media weasels its way into our minds and impacts us. It forms my opinions on things whether consciously or not, and the mass amount of media I consume daily is unavoidable, and as a result different messages get thrown at me all day.

The mass amount of media that comes to us every day, be it through music, tv, marketing, or other means, is in an almost constant stream. Some marketers attempt to be sneaky, using attempts like guerilla marketing, and advertising pops up when we don’t thing we’re being advertised to. This course has opened my eyes to situations like these, and I can see these situations clearly. I have come to understand that all media has a message, and you can either choose to let it affect you with its subconscious message, or you can be aware of its message.

Being an educated consumer is important to how we approach consumption of media. If we verse ourselves in media literacy, we can process the messages media is trying to feed us, and instead make our own impressions based on the messages.

Truly, I don’t think we can ever completely escape media’s messages. There are no practical means where we could ever escape media entirely, so its messages will always be prevalent in our lives. However, with guidance by this course, I can take it with a grain of salt. Media will always work its ideas into my brain when I’m not fully alert, but I can now make sure I’m generally aware.

Keeping this journal has been a unique and enlightening experience, and certainly one of the more individualistic assignments I’ve ever encountered. Going in-depth into media has given me a better launch-point for seeing media’s in-depth messages in my everyday life. With practice in searching for the intended messages, I can see them more clearly now. Using the media skills I have gained from this course, I can be aware in a society that is largely media-dominated.