Crisandra, 18
Media Consumption: I spend most of my time on my phone and laptop due to school and social media apps like Instagram, but this can really vary, I spend probably on average around 3-4 hours on my phone and probably 5+ hours watching lectures, doing work, etc. for school.
Favorite Media/Technology: I enjoy playing a number of games via my laptop, Nintendo Switch, and other consoles.
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
My parents used to watch TV more often but now they watch more Youtube, they are media literate but sometimes miss the nuance of trends or memes that I expose them to. My dad particularly enjoys media that can be used in collective family time, for example he owns a karaoke machine. He likes to use it when we have guests over or on Friday nights or with the family. My mom likes to watch shows with me and owns a few streaming subscriptions and also has her own iPad for more portable streaming. I typically tend to use my laptop and phone. I'm a college student so my laptop is mostly used to do work or watch shows. I like watching anime as well as the standard Netflix, Hulu etc. and on my phone I will usually listen to music, go on Instagram, or read books on my phone.
How do you and your peers interact with media and technology?
My peers and I tend to use a lot of social media apps like Instagram and Tiktok. I probably spend less time on my phone than my friends, especially since I don’t have TikTok. My friends and I play games together, or I will play games on my console by myself (Nintendo Switch). Aside from games and social media a lot of people around me in college are using laptops to do work for school, which is pretty time consuming, and is what I would guess is the predominant interaction with technology that college students have.
What do you use media for?
I tend to use media to follow content on my hobbies, ie: video game live streamers like on Twitch, or following content from anime, or other video games. I also listen to a lot of music which helps keep my mind busy especially if I’m doing things like brushing my teeth or walking to class.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
I like the game play aspect of media, I really wish I had more time for it, but I hate how addictive, specifically social media, but also other forms of media can be.
What is one thing you want the people who create media you like to watch/play/interact with to know?
I don’t really know. I like to watch live streamers and there are obviously the developers of video games that I really enjoy. I guess it would be nice to show them my appreciation for creating content that keeps me inspired and interested to continue playing those games.
What media do you interact with the most?
Definitely my phone and my laptop. I tend to scroll on Instagram but I’m trying to replace that with reading on my phone instead.
Where do you get most of your information about what’s happening in the world?
This is pretty bad because I tend to get news about what happens in the world from my friends or the social media apps that I’m on which I don’t think is good.
What media helps you stay busy/calm during challenging times?
Music definitely helps me.
What lessons have you learned from COVID-19 and other challenging times?
It’s important to have human interaction. COVID felt isolating especially because my parents love to have guests over which we obviously couldn’t do during the quarantine.
Have you learned anything about how you use media and technology because of the COVID-19 pandemic?
I don’t think so. My habits didn’t really change, other than an increased interest in live streaming which made me more receptive to watching recorded or online lectures for college. I used to prefer attending classes in person prior to COVID, but now I don’t really mind.
Interviewed by: Mimi Tsang, UCLA 4th Year