Who do I think I am?

I am a young male adult who engages and consumes social media on a daily basis. Curiosity and habit are part of my reasons but mostly living in the world today as an active member of society and industry, it is virtually impossible not to partake heavily in various types of media consumption. The first thing I do in the morning is to read the NYtimes app on my iphone for various news stories. I work as a institutional sales trader at a brokerage firm so I am in front of a computer screen all day and am constantly viewing the stock market and also monitoring news updates on Bloomberg, Thompson reuters as well as various other news agencies. We have several tv’s set up around the trading floor and CNBC is constantly on throughout the day. Media consumption for me is a necessity on both a professional and social level. Its become engrained in every aspect of my daily routine. Rarely is there a moment when a computer screen or television is not turned on at work or in my apartment. Outside of the office I am almost always looking at my iphone for news stories or on various social media sites such as instagram, twitter or facebook. Today companies such as apple, samsung, htc and LG are regularly making smaller, lighter, wearable devices that all connect to social media and the internet. The ease of accessibility to all media outlets in todays technological world is quite remarkable. Iphones, ipads, watches and laptops are all mobile devices that enable anyone to consume any type of media they choose too. The fact that they are becoming smaller and smaller make media consumption that much easier. My direct role in media consumption is as an observer first, and then to process my consumption and ultimately make decisions based on what I am absorbing. As as sales trader its imperative to know whats happening in the world and to be specifically knowledgable in the sectors and industries your clients rely on you for insight. Reading news stories and subscribing to the WSJ and NYtimes are necessities, and constantly reading news stories from around the country and world consists a major time of my day.

Of all types of media I particular have a soft spot for movies. Mainly because I am interested in how movies are made. The different styles of movies have always drawn me close to them. I ask questions like who directed the movie, who was the producer and writer of the movie. Which actors prefer to partner with certain directors and the patterns in different styles used by the active participants of film. My interest is a direct product of my fathers similar passion for film. My father and I connect when we see a movie together and some of my fondest memories are those days watching a movie with my father and inquiring about the deeper meaning of film and recognizing the various styles in film. I am a spectator because I am watching what is happening through the audience’s lens, but I am active since I like to discuss what I am seeing and what it means to me on a deeper level. What emotions are evoked in watching specific films.

In addition, a lot of my common experience involves shared mass media events since I am a active consumer of social media. I have a twitter account, facebook account, and instagram accounts like most people my age. I enjoy interacting with others on social media and seeing what types of pictures people post and why they are sharing certain aspects of their lives with the public. I notice the majority of posts are to placed in a public forum to create a sense of envy in others(ex. vacation pictures, celebratory situations, sharing expensive gifts received, eating at expensive restaurants etc etc.) I also enjoy communicating with all types of people through social media whereas “In the past you were limited largely to people that you knew in person, today you can interact with people from all around the world.”

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/contributors/2014/09/26/analysis-social-media-empowered-ferguson/16265327/


Although I do not necessarily post regularly on social media, I appreciate reading other peoples’ posts -- my friends as well as some celebrities with whom I identify. This could be considered a form of scopophilia since I gain more pleasure from viewing other posters pictures than from posting my own pictures, Laura Mulvey- Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema page 835. For example, I follow John Oliver on Facebook and Instagram and I value his thoughts on political issues and how he uses his humor to illustrate his points.

In conclusion media consumption is apart of my daily routine. I gain knowledge, pleasure and overall satisfaction consumer all types of media on a personal and professional level. I see the future of media consumption to only continue to grow and continue to expand the amounts and ease of accessibility to the common consumer.