Polin, 18

Media Consumption: 2 hours/day

Favorite Media/Technology: phone/Instagram

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

My family and I interact with social media by watching TV shows and movies together. Even when we are having a family night playing board games, we have the TV on in the background. Also, my mom and I always send each other Instagram posts or TikToks that we think the other would enjoy.

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

My peers and I interact with social media by posting on social media platforms and liking or commenting on each other's pictures. We also send each other videos or posts that we think the other would like.

What do you use media for?

I use the media to keep in touch with people that I haven’t talked to for a while. People will post vacations that they went on or the schools that they got into. It’s like a life update for people that you haven’t talked to for a while. I also use media because I enjoy taking pictures and sharing them.

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

My least favorite thing about social media is that it can be addicting and waste a lot of your day. I have noticed that especially on TikTok, I'll be scrolling for a very long time because you are always wondering what the next video is going to be. My favorite part includes being able to catch up with my friends and also having a temporary escape when after I have had a difficult day.

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

I want them to know that there are positives and negatives when it comes to media. Based on Instagram, it is nice to see what my friends are up to and hear from them on my posts. However, there are also cons which mostly have to do with people posting what others might want to see. A lot of people, whether they are friends or celebrities, hide behind their screens and make it seem like their lives are perfect. This false idea leads to negative effects for people who are feeling insecure or are dealing with life problems.

What media do you interact with the most?

The media that I interact with the most is social media on my phone. If I do not limit myself, I could be scrolling for hours.

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

The platforms that I get my news from are from Instagram news accounts, Twitter, or the Citizen app that gives news on your neighborhood. My parents, however, get their news from the news channels on the TV.

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

The media that helps me stay calm or stay busy during challenging times is social media such as TikTok or VSCO. TikTok helps me get distracted and forget about challenging times or stress that I might have from work or school. On VSCO, I edit pictures and put together collages that help me remember good memories to distract myself from challenging times.

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

A lesson that I have learned from the pandemic is how distracting and addicting social media can be. I learned this when I checked my screen time and it was progressively going up. There are so many hours in the day that I could be using to be productive and instead I was on my phone scrolling on social media. It seems that during challenging times it is common to look for an outlet which usually ends up being social media.

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

I learned that during the pandemic, along with challenging times where I am stressed, I look to social media to distract me. It is an outlet in which I can momentarily forget about the challenges around.

Interviewed by: Sarine Auvazian, UCLA student