Blogging Choice Assignment - Overall Summary

Analyzing my contact with the media over the past week has led me to observe many interesting things. I now realize the extent of my dependence on digital media for news. Without reading online news sources, I really wouldn't know what was going on in the world. I have also realized how often I am exposed to advertisements on the internet that are specifically tailored to my interests. By analyzing my media contacts, I really understand how the four trends of media work in "real life." Many of the contacts that I described over the last week have been examples of convergence. I have learned that I depend heavily on media forms being integrated with high technology because of the speed and ease of access that those forms allow. Examples of that dependence from this week would include my booking of a summer vacation online, watching Netflix, and checking the Facebook application on my phone. I never understood the extent of how media affected the way I did things, such as watch TV, listen to music, or access news, until I took into account the immense exposure I have to different media forms throughout the day. I have also learned about how much advertisements affect me from analyzing my reaction to the media coverage of the Hunger Games. It is fascinating that even when I tried to limit my exposure to the media by sitting in a library to study all day, media still affected me through my smart phone. High technology has made it possible to have access to almost all media forms in the palm of your hand. That's pretty impressive. I have also learned that my immense exposure to media has made me rely less on the original media forms, such as the news paper, TV, and hardcover books. My interaction with  media is almost constant throughout the day. I was surprised to learn how much media is intertwined throughout my daily activities, but now I know not to take any form of media for granted because they all serve vital roles in my life!