Ivan, 17
Media Consumption: Around 5 hours a day
Favorite Media/Technology: Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok.
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
Through the social media app Instagram, I sometimes find relatable videos or videos that I would like to share with my mother and/or the rest of my family and it ultimately serves as a bonding experience at times.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
I interact with my peers through social media apps like Instagram and Snapchat, where we send each other funny videos, or news involving what’s going on in our surroundings. It serves as a way to bring us closer together through the videos, or simply to inform ourselves of what’s going on in the world.
What do you use media for?
I use media in order to learn about global and local events, as well as to distract myself with what’s going on in the world around me. It’s a good escape from reality if one can find funny videos online.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
My favorite thing about social media is how much it can bring people closer together through entertainment. For example, I’m able to bond more with my friends because of funny videos, or through a political discussion based on a post that we find on the internet. However, this very thing that brings people together has the potential to tear people apart because of the dangers of abusing social media.
What is one thing you want the people who create the media you like to watch/play/interact with to know?
One thing I want the people who created social media to understand is the impact of social media on people’s everyday lives. For some people, it is their only form of taking in information, and if their platform is full of conspiracies, it’s ultimately going to cause some sort of danger to society. Additionally, it’s difficult to measure the dangers it poses to young and vulnerable minds.
What media are you using more now because of the coronavirus (COVID-19)?
I’m using Instagram more as a result of the global pandemic because it’s the platform where I have most of my friends on and it’s the most convenient way I have to understand what’s going on in their lives and if they’re doing ok. Additionally, I use Instagram to find information about how the coronavirus is doing on both a national and local scale.
Where do you get most of your information to learn more about the coronavirus?
I get most of my information about the coronavirus from the governors of California and the mayor of LA, as well as from news channels such as CNN and MSNBC.
What media has been helping you stay busy/stay calm during this difficult time?
Through the use of Instagram and discord, I’m able to converse with my friends, sometimes all day long and I find myself being busy and focusing on my relationships with them during this difficult time. Additionally, Tik Tok is a good way to distract me because of how personalized one’s experience is.
What lessons have you learned from COVID-19?
From this pandemic, I’ve learned to not take any experience I have with any person for granted, because we never know when something can change within their lives or our own. I also understood and found a new way to process my emotions that I didn’t have before.
Have you learned anything about how you use media and technology because of COVID-19?
I’ve learned that I have to rely more on media because of the pandemic because I no longer have other people as a new source outlet and have to seek information out on my own.
Interviewed by: Brandon Le, UCLA 3rd Year Transfer Student