Media and I: a Relationship

     As the famous Ross Geller of Friends said, "We were on a break!" That's what I need from media, as its firm grip on my life may enrich me but it hinders my productivity and livelihood. Binging seasons on Netflix has at least subsided since summer, but I'm haunted by little hearts and twitters, ghosts that for some reason need sunglasses. I use media every day, from listening to the radio in my house 24/7 to the stories curated by Snapchat. of course a constant flow of information saves me from poisonous ignorance, but there's a cost for every commodity.Up late nights doing homework is my kryptonite, and while there is blame to be had on the loads that burden me and practice everyday for my side passions, at least an hour or two are victims of procrastination, induced by the allure of that blue-lit screen. Heavy eyes, reading the latest headlines or gawking over photos of my idols. Its debilitating and tiring to keep up this relationship, where I seem to be giving more and more and only receiving headaches or heartaches. We need a break.

     Now, I'm in at least 3 30+ people group chats that do cover important info and itinerary, so I use that as a reason to not just lock my phone away after school every day. I feel a connection to people I keep "streaks" with, so even if we don't talk as much anymore or they are in another country, I can stifle my lonely feelings with a 135 day streak. Now I also find it harder and harder to stand the media. There are good news sources, and then actual flaming pieces of garbage that take trucks to then dump their refuse into the mouths of waiting people, altering their minds and closing them off from open mindedness and actual human tendencies. There's always a bad side to anything, and sadly the bad side of media are those who believe half-assed reporting does this country any good. My head wants to escape, and my soul is in desperate need of a reboot. Abstinence is a good answer for this matter, but media does come with its own remedies. Music is a side of media I would not survive without. Pictures are great as well, and not from Instagram, but my own photo roll that brings a smile to my face as I'm drunk off nostalgia. There's good to balance out the bad, but optimism has its limits in the face of a hateful cyber world.I love the media and if I could pick out the bad parts, maybe we wouldn't need to go on break. I don't have a solution, and no one else really does too. With every new thing in humanity's history, it needs time to sort itself out. Hopefully, this happens soon enough that we are't completely swept away and lost in a land of 1's and 0's.