Something that I have found to be an integral part of the college experience is self-discovery, figuring out who I really am. Sophomore year was a great year for self-discernment. I learned a lot more about what makes me happy, stressed, how I best interact with people, and the greatest achievement was learning more about what I wanted to do with my career, which led to me switching to a journalism major from business. Technology plays a role in how I, along with the rest of the world, define myself. Tech and media can be positive influences in our personal development, connecting us to more information about topics and ideas we already love as well as introducing new things we may latch onto ourselves. Google “motivational videos” and you will find thousands of people encouraging you to be the best person you can possibly be. Head to Reddit and find a community of people that share a similar niche interest as you. Media can bring us together in new ways, but you can also tear yourself apart with it. The most common example of this would be on social media, particularly Instagram (more for people my age) and Facebook (for more adults). There I can find countless people who seem to be having a better time and living a better life than me. This can make us feel worthless, or that our lives should be much better. We can easily forget that first, it has always been counterproductive to envy others’ lives, even long before any digital technology existed, and second, that these people put up the best snippets of their lives on social media. A beautiful, skinny Instagram model posting a picture in Hawaii could be struggling with an eating disorder. During this period of my life where I am deciding who I will become, it is important to remember that I must set my own expectations, not let others online do it for me.
Daniel Pink introduces an awesome tool for developing an identity and “personal brand.” The idea of using a single sentence to describe oneself is a really cool way to capture how I would explain myself. In order to create this sentence, I must think about what is important in my life and what do I enjoy and do best. Something that I determined several years ago to be the biggest aspect of my life is how I socialize. While I enjoy my personal time, I am wholeheartedly an extrovert, and there really is nothing more important to me than the people in my life. People and socializing is always under consideration when I try to balance my life. Am I spending enough time with the people I care about? Are these interactions meaningful and enjoyable? Another question I need to ask more is: Am I leaving enough time to accomplish other important things, or do I shelf homework and responsibilities for friends too often? What I consider to be the second of two main pillars of my identity (there are of course other factors, but let’s focus on the biggest ones) would be my desire to always be learning and improving. I thoroughly enjoy being a student, and I try to also make time for learning outside of the classroom. Especially now, I am in a period of trying to figure out how I want to spend my working years. Figuring out what I want my place to be in the world is at the forefront of my learning. I am a big proponent of the quote: “The day we stop learning is the day we die” The quote is from Irish author, not incompetent office manager, Michael Scott.
Having examined some of the things most important to me, I would say this has to be my sentence:
I am a college student, but I am a lifelong learner with a passion for the people I care about, and the drive to better myself and those around me.
I wonder how this sentence will change throughout my life!
Media in our World 