Sebastian, 16

Media Consumption: I listen to a lot of music throughout the day but I also will sometimes leave my phone going on in the background if I’m making food or doing homework. But, on social media or watching YouTube, I probably spend 3 hours, sometimes more. I don’t not spend as much time on my phone as I used to. My favorite form of media now is video games, which I spend 1-2 hours on on weekdays and maybe 5 hours on weekends.

Favorite Media/Technology: My favorite form of technology nowadays is video games that I play on my console. I used to spend more time on my phone watching movies and when I was younger I did not play games at all but since getting the console I really enjoy playing them.

How do you and your family interact with media/technology?

The way my mom interacts with the media is mostly through Facebook but I don’t know what other social media she has. I mostly contact her through her phone but she also has a computer.

How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?

Most of my friends have social media, like Instagram and Snapchat and a decent amount are actively on it.

What do you use media for?

I mostly use social media to reach out to specific friends or I’ll look at Instagram just to see

what someones been up to lately. You can just look at someone's Instagram and see how their

life’s been going.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?

Technology is a really easy way to lose everything, like money because you can get scammed really easily through emails or credit cards. On the internet all your information is just easier to get. My favorite thing is that it is easy entertainment, you can just sit down and watch a movie or game, or FaceTime people that are far away that you can’t see. It is good for entertainment and communication.

What is one thing you want the people who create the media you like to watch/play/interact with to know?

I don’t know one thing I’d want people who create media to know, I’ve never really thought about that. I can’t change it; it will always be changing.

What media do you interact with the most?

I think I probably use media like Spotify the most.

Where do you get most of your information about what’s happening in the world (e.g., news, internet, parents, etc.)?

I probably get most information about what’s happening in the world from school. In one of my classes I have a teacher that believes it’s important for us to know what’s going on, which it is.

What media helps you stay busy/stay calm during challenging times?

I don’t really use my phone as a way to comfort me, I just use it to contact people, listen to music and watch videos, movies and shows. I don’t think those really help me stay calm but video games don’t really make me stay calm; they help me stay busy and plugged in.

What lessons have you learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenging times?

I don't really know, that not a lot of people care about getting better. Like with COVID, it’s been years and i can’t believe, like my school, doesn’t even care about masks, like masks are nonexistent these days.

Have you learned anything about how you use media and technology because of the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenging times?

Yes I have learned that using technology in moderation is important and balancing that by doing things outside of technology is important. I used to use technology a lot before bed and late at night but I learned to limit the time on them because being tired isn't fun and I have to wake up cause I have to walk my dog.

Interviewed by: Daniela Noricumbo, UCLA student