Media, Me, and Also Like... Other People... Kind Of.

Media, Me, and Also Like… Other People… Kind Of.

            Right now, I would consider myself to be both a consumer and producer of media. For years, I have been involved in various “fandoms”, and I like to say that I know a little bit about a lot of things in the realm of pop culture. Be it books, cartoons, anime, TV shows, films, or top music artists, I somehow always land myself with an interest in things that tend to have a cult following. My consumption of media has definitely shaped the kind of media I produce as well. Since middle school, I have run plenty of "stan accounts" on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. I have always sought out social media as my way of communicating with other people about things that I am passionate about since more often than not I am at a loss of people whom I can relate to. Mass media events, especially in regards to the corners of media which I am involved in greatly affect the ways I interact with others. Common experience is what I base most of my relationships on, and without that relatability, I find it hard to clique with people.

Ugh SO Relatable. Via... Kpop Stan Twitter. I love memes.

            Given this constant consumption and production of media that I have found myself in, I definitely feel as if who I am is sometimes measured against media examples. Especially in the oftentimes harsh environment of fan culture, a measure of one’s followers is often times used in considering who to follow back, or become “mutual” with. I have even found that follower count effects who some people will talk to, leaving them to ignore someone who they could potentially become good friends with based on the fact that they don’t have enough “clout”.  

            I have 100% felt the pressure of that harsh fact. Like most people these days, Instagram has been my number one most used social media outlet. I almost always try to produce what I would consider “quality content”, which, in the age of narcissism through media, is more often than not pictures of myself. I don’t see this as much of an issue, as I have become far more confident with myself in recent years, and social media has been a bit of my own way to express my self-confidence. However, I find it offensive when the way I use media is linked to who I am as a person rather than people’s own interactions with me. I refuse to be ashamed of my own self-confidence for the sake of fitting into what other people would consider appropriate, and I consider it to be a shame that so much of the way we judge another person is based on the way they use social media.

           

Video of Olympic Figure Skater Adam Rippon on the Ellen Show.
Tweet by @imkennybrian on twitter. Also funny.

 However, social media is not always covered by a cloud of judgment or self-consciousness. It was a way for a nerdy, queer, Asian-American, teenage girl like me to find people who I could relate to, who in the end made me feel less ashamed of myself. Many people whom I follow on social media use their outlets to encourage others to find that same self-love, so social media can’t be all bad.