Digital Media

 

Image by Joseph Mucira from Pixabay

My understanding of digital media was this unlimited access to the internet and the power it brought with it. The three videos I watched reinforced that belief in me. And more so, it brought the fact that not everything was to be believed as truth to the surface of my mind. We always hear, "don't believe everything people say" in relation to all sorts of media from our parents when growing up. Whether it's television or the internet, you have to be critical about the media you consume and to learn to form your own opinions.

However, there is one thing that stands out in relation to the internet; it is near impossible to escape. The internet, and digital media as a whole, is a requirement for the everyday. Nearly all work, communication, and entertainment have migrated to the internet and, as such, it is incredibly difficult to separate yourself from it. Of course, separating yourself from digital media is not unheard of but, regardless, we often find ourselves wandering back to it. This is especially the case with the younger generations. How they have been raised in this internet culture has undeniably impacted them.

I was quite surprised that the last video brought up the topic of internet memes. These memes are part of a constantly changing and evolving internet language and vary depending on the audience. Memes fade into irrelevancy as quickly as they garnered popularity. As such, the introduction of the "success kid" in the TEDTalk had brought upon quite the visceral reaction and nostalgia from me. But as well the example in which the meme is used to promote a company reminds us that we have to be wary of what the message behind something we see is, whether it be an advertisement, sponsorships or political pieces. "The medium is the message" as we've seen at the top of the page. 

Behind the creation of content there is always intent. It can be to spread their opinions and as well their political ideology. As such, these days it is incredibly easy to fall into the extreme ends of the political spectrum. We as the consumer have to learn to be critical of the information brought to us, and to learn to form our own opinions on something while taking everything into account. This is not only applied to political content but to advertisements, influencers in addition to political content.