I’ve been pondering on how to start this paper for about a week now—how to explain what my personal media usage looks like without it being so generic. The truth is, my personal media usage probably looks just like yours.
Based on my daily average screen time, social ranks as the top category of the most used apps on my phone, in which I personally use social media apps like Instagram, Facebook, X, and TikTok (those are my socials by the way if you’d like to click and follow.)
I became more reliant on media and internet usage after starting college in the fall of 2022. I have had classes that are dependent on websites for certain homework assignments and mobile apps that are necessary for my on-campus jobs, working for desk and with intramural sports.
There isn’t anything special about the way I use media compared to anyone else, and it does in fact, mirror a good majority of not only my friends but other students in my community.
Besides the occasional text echanges between my friend group chats and my mom, the foundational apps that come with Apple are some of my go-tos: Text, Music, Safari, Maps, etc.
There are specific apps that I use for personal entertainment, work, and my academic studies. To outline my "media aesthetic," my favorite and most used media for enjoyment are Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok, and Apple Music.
I am in fact a "Pinterest girly." I spend a lot of my time in and outside of class on Pinterest creating personal boards, in which some I’ve titled Barbie Dream House, Luxury Wants, Vision Board, Recipes, and lots of wedding boards, each with it’s own color scheme. This is the most peaceful and productive way I use media for my personal downtime. On Pinterest I’m able to create a visual aspect of what my goals and dreams look like for my career, my relationship with God, my dream home, and quality time ideas for my relationships.Although TikTok and Instagram are visual-focused platforms, nothing is the exact same as my beloved, TikTok. I use TikTok for everything, from recipes to workout videos and GRWM's. TikTok is another huge influence when thinking of pursuing my dream jobs, traveling to countries I've never visited, enlightening myself on politics, and last but not least, it makes me laugh.
Instagram is a platform that I use occasionally (sometimes regularly) to see what’s going on with celebrities and content creators I follow—staying up to date, if you will. From time to time, I will communicate with my friends and family and even post content of my own (usually just photos.) After TikTok, Instagram is what I like to think I benefit from most, considering the inspiration I get from creative posts published by those that I’m following.
Monet McMichael is widely known for content creation on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram where she has over one million followers and hundreds of thousands of YouTube subscribers. Not only is McMichael creative with her editing and publishing skills, but she is a great inspiration to young ladies wanting to study or obtain certification in specific fields without limiting themselves from striving for their dream career and lifestyle that may look totally different from what they know.
Not only does media influence my career and academic goals, but it also helps me achieve my academic goals. With simple help from Google and Safari, I’m able to research news articles that help emphasize my narrative for my position papers or media presentations for my classes.
In the semester of Fall 2024, I had to create a media presentation covering an international mobile media app, in which I chose Line. Because a majority of its popularity and user ratings are of course, international, there wasn’t a good amount of personal usage experience I had to incorporate into the position paper. Thankfully, few journalists have published short articles that highlight the features and demographics of the mobile app. This was absolutely beneficial when it came down to the nitty gritty of giving details about Line. In my personal opinion, I think media has more positive affect on me than negative, which is probably what most people will say about themselves too. Inspiration is the best word I can use to describe what I see when I use media. Other than from time to time maybe being discouraged at my time line of life events compared to other young ladies, I take a step back and instead, use that for encouragement to strive for my dreams.
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