Amy, 18
Media consumption: 5-6 hours a day
Favorite media/technology: Instagram
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
We use media and technology often. My mom is on Facebook everyday and my dad watches the news through TV everyday.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
My peers and I interact through technology. We send each other TikTok’s and Instagram posts regularly, and it is one of the most popular ways we interact with each other, especially with my friends who are at schools far away from me.
What do you use media for?
I use media for entertainment purposes which is mainly to pass time, I search for cooking recipes, workout-related content, I communicate with friends, and I use it for Netflix.
What is your most favorite/least favorite thing about technology?
My most favorite thing about media is where I find my entertainment. Certain posts that you come across make your day because it’s so funny. My least favorite thing about media is that it is so toxic for young people because you can get influenced so easily, but not everything applies to everyone, and people end up falling into a trap.
What is one thing you want the people who create the media you like to watch/play/interact with to know?
I would want the people who create the media to know that there are a lot of people out there who are scarily swayed into doing things they see on the internet. Although I understand that it is one of the main purposes for making them, I believe that creators should be extremely careful with what they choose to post.
What media do you interact with the most?
The media that I interact with the most are TikTok and Snapchat.
Where do you get most of your information about what’s happening in the world?
I obtain most of my information about what’s happening in the world through people I am close with or through social media.
What media helps you stay busy/ stay calm during challenging times?
I feel like scrolling on TikTok is nice for me to unwind during challenging times or before going to bed. It takes one’s mind off of things and it is an easy watch.
What lessons have you learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenging times?
One of the important lessons I learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is that human interaction is very important for people. A few of my friends who were already introverted became even more introverted, and lost a lot of social interaction skills because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Have you learned anything about how you use media and technology because of the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenging times?
My dependency on social media for entertainment increased because I was at home, and I did not have much else to do during my free time.
Interviewed by: Osheen Abnous, UCLA student