A few days before my departure of the United States I did my first blog where I analyzed my media intake (the blog titled *A Media Update).
I was consumed in the electronic mediated world, with my television on, ipod charging, my Facebook and email up, music going, and my phone receiving texts. I was the ultimate media consumer.
Today, after living abroad for 4 months and traveling different parts of Europe, Asia and Africa I feel that I have changed, just slight. I have spent the past four months without a television, no real concept of what is popular in entertainment, what cultural news is happening, what’s happening in the world of sports or anything like that. It’s an odd feeling, to be disconnected, but it’s a feeling of content.
In my first blog I wrote: “Currently, I am having one of those mellow days, some packing, some school prep work basically just a relaxing rainy day but the media is consuming it entirely. As I write this I’m listening to Time to Pretend by MGMT, watching the Sox day game, texting my friend from home that just left for school, while my new itouch is uploading all 12,891 songs before I depart. This is enjoyable, for me. That being because I’m “relaxing” by consuming myself with American mediums, several at a time.”
I have not had that much media intake at one time since the time I wrote this. I wrote how I found this to all be enjoyable and though I will probably still find it enjoyable when I return to the states, I have come to realize there is more to enjoy in the world than that of the media.
Don’t get me wrong I still check my Facebook, blog, look up information online and so forth but my life does not entail as much media as it once did.
In fact, just this morning I spent two hours sitting at a coffee shop in Athens with my friends just talking with no interruptions from a phone call, text message, black berry email and no television or music being played in the background. We just talked about life. I feel that I have slowed down while here and the rushed world of communications has taken a step back from my lifestyle.
I have left this study abroad trip with a new outlook on the media, a new outlook on life and I’m interested in seeing how I instill these new outlooks in life back home.
Nicholas Vitukevich, Assistant Editor-in-Chief
Pierce Arrow Blogger
Be First to Comment