Media with Hay

           In the hit Disney movie, Mulan asks herself, "When will my reflection show who I am inside?" Although in disguise as a catchy princess song, this question is an accurate representation of the interplay between media and society. Our thoughts are so processed by media, so does our reflections really show who we are on the inside? This is just one of the few things that this semester focusing on media has taught me. As far as social media goes, I found myself using it less as a means of trying to prove that I was somehow different than the majority of teenagers these days that are glue to things like Snapchat and Instagram. In reality, I was trying to use it less to avoid being just another number in the ridiculous stats about teens these days who live and breathe social media. Learning about the negative effects and qualities of media made me want to turn away from the obvious apps on my phone, but I ended up just turning to other...

                   Many of us millennials were well aware when Instagram released a new feature on their app called Instagram Live toward the end of 2016. This added feature allows people to live stream video of themselves that their followers can watch and comment on. I believe the success of this feature is due to the fact that Instagram has now made everyone who uses the app a famous person.          Before live stories, a lot of internet famous people used an app called YouNow to live stream. These included YouTube stars like Dan Howell and Connor Franta to vine stars like Matthew Espinosa. By allowing normal people to also have the option to perform this action that was formerly dominated by those who are famous, Instagram is essentially making you a cool, famous person.          Also, the way the feature works just adds to this famous feeling. When someone starts a live vi...

         When I was a budding teenager in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade, I remember watching the show Awkward with my older sisters. I found it hard to grasp the idea that these characters in the show were meant to portray teens that were only a few years older than I. Most of them were driving, drinking, partying, doing drugs, and or having sex. Although I wasn't formally introduced to the idea of "pop" at this age, I had the impression that this was a misrepresentation of what high school was like, that the characters were merely a ploy to get viewers to watch a show that was oh-so-ridiculous. Now that I'm at the half way point in my high school career, I'm not so sure that this show was the blaring form of pop that I used to think it was.          As sad as it is, I feel that the description of the characters in Awkward aren't so far off. I know plenty of kids my age that can fit into every single one of those descriptions. It almos...