Term Paper 1

September 14, 2025

Julie Grace Robertson

Prof. Reppert

Term Paper 1

Intro to Mass Communications

Media takes up a huge part of my daily life. From the moment I wake up in the morning until I go to bed at night, I find myself mindlessly scrolling through my phone. I take in a crazy amount of media without really paying attention to what I’m reading, watching, or listening to. At work, I scroll; in class, I scroll; and sometimes, I even fall asleep with my phone still open. This kind of behavior isn’t unusual for the average college student. Media plays a huge role in everyone’s life, and it seems like everyone is always engaged with it in some way. My day usually starts around the same time every day, with my alarm set for 6:30 am. 

My classes typically begin at either 9:30 or 10:00 in the morning, but my routine in the morning stays pretty consistent. Every morning, I jump out of bed as quickly as I can to turn off my alarm. This usually wakes me up pretty fast. Depending on how I feel that day, I might either roll over and grab my phone to check my notifications or choose to go back to sleep until my next alarm goes off. Once I’m fully awake, I make sure to check all of the notifications I might have missed during the night. I’m the kind of person who loves creating content on different social media platforms, which keeps me engaged even more. After I finish my morning scroll through social media, I open TikTok and set it up to record my morning routine. Sometimes, this process can take a while, and I don’t really get anything in return except for more screen time, but honestly, it’s a lot of fun for me. Creating content is not just a way for me to pass the time; it also gives me a chance to express myself and share my life with others. I enjoy thinking about how to make my videos interesting or how to show my personality through what I post. Even though I know I could be doing something else more productive, I find joy in sharing my experiences and seeing how others respond to them. 

As I go through my day, I continue to interact with media in different ways. I might watch videos during my breaks at work or listen to music while studying. All of this media consumption can sometimes feel overwhelming, but it’s also part of what makes my life feel connected. Even when I’m busy, I can still reach out to friends through social media or keep up with trends. In conclusion, media is a huge part of my everyday life. It starts from the moment I wake up and continues throughout my day, shaping how I interact with the world around me. Whether it’s through scrolling on my phone, creating content, or simply enjoying videos, media has become a constant companion in my life. While I know I should balance it with other activities, I can’t help but appreciate the fun and connection that it brings. I am rather active on multiple platforms which does up my screen time, and I do enjoy watching videos in my free time.  

On a typical day I will leave class and scroll online as I am walking. Answering text messages or social media notifications. It’s embarrassing how spatially aware I am not. It doesn’t help that I use an IPad or Laptop to take my notes in class. It’s easy to get distracted when note-taking online, which is a negative to media usage. If it is my IPad, I can easily get caught up playing a game or texting my mother. As for my computer, well.. I’m addicted to solitaire. I tend not to use my Laptop, however, because it isn’t as up-to-date as my IPad is. Just recently I did a social media cleanse for a day where I locked my social medias. During this time I found that my classes went by faster, and I indulged in other interests whilst not on my phone. Being so attached to electronics and media can be unhealthy on your mental health, your eyes, and even your attention span so I find it nice to do a day or two cleanse every so often. 

Facebook and TikTok are some of my most used social media apps. I find that TikTok is one of, if not the most, entertaining app we have today. But, I love to keep up with my small hometown drama on Facebook. The new wave of social media is keeping up with the trends. You want to be the first one to send the funniest example of the new trend, or be the first one to deliver the funny post to the group. Once I have completed my classes for the day, I normally have other things going on. Whether it be theatre related, meeting related, or going to the gym. I still find time to scroll here as well. In fact, there is an invention of a ring that bluetooths to your phone so you can scroll on your phone. When you aren’t touching it. This works with apps like TikTok, Instagram, and Kindle. Even with theatre I will turn to social media for inspiration developing a character or taking in advertisement. If I am not doing one of the things listed above then I am on my gaming desktop playing video games. This is something I also use to create content. Again, I receive nothing in return, I just love doing it. I’ve gathered a wide array of video games that I enjoy, even though to others they are lame. I love video games that are slow paced, adventurous and have minimal (but still some) combat. All of my friends enjoy high intensity combat, or first person shooters so it’s hard to enjoy because they all think my games are uninteresting. 

   

Even though I enjoy playing video games, I cannot sit there for too long. So often I will take breaks or just stop playing all together. It comes in phases, where I will play every day for a month and then abandon my PC for two months following that. The time I can mostly be caught on social media is when I am finally winding down for the night. I try not to use my phone in my bed because it keeps me from scrolling, but I catch myself doing it rather often. Every night I will scroll endlessly, mindlessly, almost zoning out, for hours on end. I save all the latest songs, and organize all of my favorite videos into folders. Or even my music. In fact, I catch myself organizing my phone a lot, I guess simply because I like the change ... or because I am out of storage. 

In the end, media shapes nearly every part of my daily life, from how I wake up in the morning to how I fall asleep at night. It keeps me entertained, connected, and creative, but it also challenges my focus, my time management, and even my awareness of the world around me. While I sometimes recognize the need to step away and take breaks, I also value the way media gives me an outlet for expression, a way to stay in touch with friends, and a source of inspiration. My relationship with media is far from perfect, but it continues to be a constant presence that influences not only how I spend my time, but also how I see myself and the world around me.