An "I" in Media

During the day I am Anastasiya, the website designer and media creator, but during the night I become Stacy, the mass media consumer. I create media every day because career is a website designer. I am constantly creating web design content for a restaurants website, social media, and email newsletters. [Foragers was a recent web design of mine that was launched!] Media creation has become a part of my identity because it is a way in which I express my art and literally make money. I am able to translate a restaurants aesthetic and vibe through code and design elements. Even during the time that I am not creating content, I have to constantly continue researching the latest design trends to make sure that I am giving my customers the best design they can have. My career choice requires me to be surrounded by media every day, even if its not social media.

In all honesty it took me a while to begin writing this blog post because my attention was glued to my phone. Constantly checking my apps, such as Facebook, Buzzfeed,  Instagram, and Twitter, to make sure that I don’t miss any bit of “breaking” news or celebrity beef on Worldstar. I am not necessarily proud of the fact that I am addicted to these phone apps but they play a major role in my life. They keep me updated on the latest mass tragedies or the latest scandal. They keep me busy by letting me take quizzes that tell me which element I am based on the cake I make. They keep me connected to high school friends who have moved away. They have allowed me to speak to people that I would have never even heard of if it weren't for social media. Social media makes me feel a sense of connection to the rest of the world that I don't think could have been possible otherwise.

I understand media can be a friend or a foe. It plays such an important role in all of our lives. It can start revolutions and expose corrupt politics, but it can also fill peoples minds with fake news and lead to a lot of issues. I believe people should be mindful when they are consuming media and always fact checking the information that they consume. Not all media intentions are bad, but the bad media seems to always outweigh the good intentions media has.