Jen, 19

Media Consumption: 8+ hours per day

Favorite Media/Technology: Twitch Live Streaming Service

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

I know that my family uses the media as a main source of news, and that’s basically how they are fed information. A lot of the time they’re buying into propaganda because they don’t know what sources are reputable. Beyond the basics, I don’t really know exactly how they interact with the media because I don’t live with them anymore, but sometimes my mom and I send each other some silly GIFs and memes. They just kinda send me news articles and texts updating me on their life, and that’s all I know.

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

My friends and I are on TikTok and send each other stuff every day! I find some things funny and others educational, and I like to share them with my friends so we can all see the same information. We also use Snapchat as our main form of communication, and sometimesInstagram as well. Yeah, I think I tend to use these forms of social media as my main method of communication rather than your typical SMS text message.

What do you use media for?

As well as connecting with family and friends, I’ve mainly used the media for profit. I’ve never worked a traditional in-person job, and so all the money I have earned up ‘til now was through the use of media. That included creating and selling it - monetizing my media use! I’ve done a lot of content creation, which is something that is definitely new to this day and age. That is my main source of income. I’ve also done writing for a journalism website - most of these things had to do with video games. I helped grow a network of YouTube channels which now have around 700,000 subscribers, which is great. So I’m able to monetize the YouTube videos I create and other brand deals like sponsorships. I also created an online community based off of my video game streaming and was able to monetize that as well through different modes such as ad revenue from the streams, brand deals and sponsorships, and selling merchandise.

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

I definitely think my favorite aspect of the media is the ability to stream. Streaming was my favorite job for sure and for like, obvious reasons. Of course it's gonna be better than other jobs because you have your direct community and you are your own manager. The whole thing felt like fun. None of it was work for me. I loved streaming because it was very different from a traditional job. I think for one, this happened at an age where I couldn’t just walk into a Starbucks and get employed, so I was able to start fairly young and that was great because I was able to start earning my own money at a very young age. Overall, I enjoyed the freedom that the media was able to give me. It gave me a lot of creative freedom and freedom with my time in a way that a traditional job never could’ve. I think streaming using the media was my vehicle to be able to gain independence at a young age, which was incredible. There were definitely negatives, of course. I think my least favorite aspect of the internet was that it made me grow up way too fast and lose parts of my childhood. I think unrestricted access to the internet as a child was, uh, not great. I can't say that I regret it because it definitely gave me the opportunity to make money at a young age and therefore move out of a toxic home and whatever. But yeah, I could definitely see how it affected me and made me grow up a lot faster than you might have 40 years ago. I think it gave me access to inappropriate information and you know, as a child you're very inquisitive and want to understand everything presented to you, even if you don’t know that it’s bad. I was also given access to and accessed by, um, dangerous people at a young age. It was definitely a safety issue and stripped a lot of my childhood. Even now, I’m still being confronted with dangerous situations online, yeah. There's creepy men everywhere.

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

If I had the ability to speak with the creators of Twitch, I would definitely want to let them know about the somewhat toxic environment they’ve created. I think streaming had a very positive boost to my self-confidence, but in a seemingly toxic way. I was in this cycle of getting validation from strangers, which is unnecessary when you have your own intrinsic self-worth. But I was starting to base this worth off of other people's views of me since I was in the public eye and receiving comments about my appearance and my personality every single day. When it came to views and stuff, I wasn't like competitive, but I think you do become hyper aware of the different metrics. Um, when you see it on your screen, you're definitely aware of it. Like, it'd be a lie if I said like, ah, I don't care how many people are here right now. Even though I tried not to let that flood my mind, the way the system was designed was to make us competitive, which is definitely a negative. I feel like very, very, very recently have I tried to start to unlearn this like hyper-sexualization of myself because from the very beginning, from probably the first day that I had access to any sort of media, I saw women like me, even at a young age being portrayed in this very, very sexualized way. And it felt like you had to portray yourself in that way to succeed in that environment. And, you know, speaking of metrics, you did see, uh, a shocking difference on days where I’d dress more promiscuously versus a day where I'm in more comfortable clothing. There is a glaring difference in how many people are going to be there to watch you. Um, it sucks. It made me base my worth off of how sexualized I was by other people. And I wish the creators would do something to address this, because otherwise Twitch is a wonderful platform.

What media do you interact with the most?

I definitely spend most of my time on Twitch or making Twitch-related content, such as on Instagram or TikTok trying to make posts, advertise, connect with my audience, and things like that. It takes a lot of work and time to run a channel, so this is mainly what I spend my time

doing with the media.

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

I’d say I get my information from my friends and from social media. Current events, historical events, and just daily news all tend to come from these sources. I would say Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok are what I mainly see information on, and I don’t really use Twitter. I don’t think these are really reputable sources, but if it’s important, I make sure to fact check on Google with some primary sources. I tend to look out for videos of current events because that tends to be reliable. That’s usually my first stop for confirmed reputable information, but I mainly use social media on the day to day.

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

Definitely TikTok. The whole app is just mindless scrolling and distraction from the hard times. The algorithm is so much better on TikTok than on other apps, so it feeds me more interesting and personalized media. I don’t have to think about challenging things when I’m distracted by TikTok, you know? I think it’s sometimes unhealthy to use it as a distraction because there’s certainly much better mechanisms out there to to cope with. I try to limit it, but at the end of the day, using TikTok is sometimes more healthy than the alternative mechanisms I might try.

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

COVID really taught me a lot about life and how you really never know what’s going to happen. Everything can change in a minute, and it literally did! I think it showed us how important communication is, even online communication, because that’s truly what got a lot of people through the challenging times, including me. Life is sacred and we really shouldn’t take it for granted.

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

I think the COVID-19 pandemic caused us to focus on the internet and media because we were so restricted from the outside world. It made us hone in on the media as our way of communication and as a platform to make money, because there was no other way to do things! Personally, the isolation made me turn to online activities which I was then able to monetize, like my streaming career. It obviously benefited me quite a bit and I’m very grateful for it being an available option, but it did make me feel a lot more detached from interpersonal communication in real life, which is so important. Do I think it’s harmed me in many ways? Yes, but I really think the positives outweigh the detriment I’m still working through.

Interviewed by: Melanie Piper, UCLA student

Michael, 20

 Media Consumption: Around 4-5 Hours a Day

Favorite Media/Technology: Video Games and Twitch

Why do you play video games?

I use video games and streaming to be entertained and feel linked to other people online. Video games link me to my friends and a community of other gamers [people who he does not personally know] where we can chat through the PlayStation app to schedule a time to play multiplayer games. 

What type of content do you play?

Call of Duty Warzone and Rainbow Six Siege. Both of these video game titles are shooter games rated M for mature. Video games have taught me how to socialize. Ever since I was a kid on the PlayStation 3 console, I met and still meet new people every day online.

What do you like about Twitch?

Twitch has helped me learn more about myself. I learned that I am similar to other Twitch viewers as “game lovers” even though I am twenty years old. 

Are there media interferences in your life and what are they?

My smartphone is the biggest distraction of all mankind. Instagram and YouTube are the two main platforms that should be held responsible and punished because I fall in loopholes and lose track of time. I take breaks only to find myself with a bag of Lays chips on my bed, scrolling through ads in my Instagram feed. 

Is your family also affected by the media interferences and how so?

Smartphones in general interfere with my family. Smartphones are a replacement for social interactions during family dinner. Every family member is on their phone; therefore, it is all quiet during dinner.

How has COVID affected your media usage?

I have not been able to see my friends as frequently as before. However, I can still game with them every day. My friends are very important to me and to see my friends less, hurt me. However, video games saved my relationships with my friends and we are able to talk about everything from school to gaming content while playing video games.

Interviewed by: Daniel Fouladian, UCLA 3rd Year Student