Wk 2 – Media is Not a ‘Thing’ Out There

“Media texts do not simply ‘picture’ or ‘reflect’ a reality where meaning resides.”

It’s a frightening thought to think that we can’t separate ourselves from the media texts that we consume day in and out. We’re consciously and subconsciously overwhelmed by sensory perceptions, which is what the ‘excursion’ during the lecture reiterated. Heading out to Swanston street, I wasn’t entirely sure what to focus on first – my relentlessly ‘dinging’ messenger, the snapchat I sent, the signs on the buildings, the music blaring from stores or the Tibetan protest taking place on the steps of the State Library?

It’s worthwhile to think about the fact that we can never take a break from information or media outputs – even as I sleep the hum of my dvd player or the light from my laptop consumes the space and remains at the back of my mind. Just then I checked my phone twice as the quiet tapping of fingers on keyboards is therapeutically breaking the ice in the room.

Perhaps we should all be trying to find some form of ‘silence,’ even if it’s just for a little while each day.