I guess something that is thought provoking to me now is just all of what goes into digital media. It is more than just being skilled on the computer and knowing how to use certain programs. You have to have unique ideas and a drive. Because there are so many options to explore with digital media, you need a vision or at least a starting point for what you would like to accomplish with digital media. If you do not, you may get lost, confused, or even overwhelmed.
Digital media can be a way to express yourself in ways that you may have never thought were possible. As we discussed in class, digital media allows us the capability to use all five senses to express ourselves as well as to absorb information. It can be an escape from the world and everyday life but it can also be the opposite, drawing you farther and farther deeper into the world of marketing and information.
I have felt both ways about digital media. When I first went off to college my freshman year, I was consumed with digital media. I needed to be on Facebook, IM-ing with friends, checking news websites from home, text messaging and calling friends between classes and e-mailing with family. I wanted to be as connected as possible to what I had left behind at home. Now, two years later, I have grown sick of this overwhelming sense that I can be contacted in so many ways. Sometimes it is nice to be disconnected from the digital world, free of appointments. I went camping for a few days this summer and I admit I loved the fact that I didn't get cell phone reception. I loved waking up in the morning to only the sunrise and not a blaring beeping sound. I loved sitting by the campfire at night, free from responsibilities. I loved cooking basic burgers and hot dogs over an open fire. But after a few days, I did begin to wonder what was happening in the real world. What were my friends doing? What was new on CNN.com? As soon as I got home I ran to my cell phone, frantic to see who had called and what I had missed. I was so embarrassed. I had always considered myself someone who can live without those types of things and be fine. But the camping trip made me realize just how big of a role digital media plays in my life.