As this course comes to an end I've really seen the magnitude of what media can afford humanity. Participatory Media Culture is really fascinating because we are actually living it, like right now in this moment. So when I think about everything, it's funny to know i'm witnessing all of this go down and just reporting on it. 

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One of my favorite concepts is exploring social constructivism and converting to social shaping. I've always had this mentality in my head but never really put a label to it, so now I know! I think it's important for people to explore these ideas when it comes to technology. I don't know how to really put it into words but it helped me conceptualize the way people behave in relation to media. There are some people who just love to blame technology and I've definitely seen those comments before like: phones ruined relationships or social media perpetuates unrealistic standards. It's like you can't be delusional... always be aware. Media and Technology enabled our new behaviors and we just have to take ownership that our culture is shifting. Humans are agents, technologies are tool. You as a user have the responsibility to either accept the new norm or reject it. For example, when people blame children for being on their phones all the time it's just like as a parent figure you can still monitor usage. Or when people feed into this idea that they have to be perfect for social media and then they say Instagram forced this upon them, it's just like no be yourself regardless. Or when people say that the internet is bad, but it's the people who use the internet are bad and you have to stay away from them. Or when people say they have to buy the new iPhone to be in the loop and that they're so dependent on it, it's like okay chill. But detracting from the concept itself, it got me to analyze my behaviors and own stance.

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Also watching black mirror episodes was a great touch to the course just because it put things into perspective of what we can become when technology advances. The more we add new features to the list, the more we choose to become brainwashed. It's just a lot "sheep" like thinking where people will just go with the new wave. For example the Black Mirror episode about the girl obsessing over ranking. She allowed herself to get that obsessed over rating. But the society around her accepted it as the norm and it was almost "forced" upon her if she wanted a better life. It's weird dichotomy of you shouldn't care about new technology behaviors and features but also you need to play the game in order to fit in and protect your livelihood. It's both funny but saddening to know that this isn't far from what we're experiencing now with people who want to gain popularity so bad and once they get a large following they don't know how to act like a decent human being just because they've gained social capitol through social media. There were so many layers that could be discussed and analyzed that could apply to us now. 

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Overall this course got me to reflect on how much participatory media plays in our lives and sometimes we don't stop and think about it (for me at least). Like i can't deny I'm guilty of just using SNS and my phone all the time without really thinking about what it all means from an educational point. Now I questions always rise when I think about my participation: should i really be on my phone this much? Do i need to be proficient at twitter, facebook, instagram so people now I exist? Do i need to block everything so my information isn't being leaked? Do I really need to read those long Terms of Agreements contracts? There's just a lot of questioning going on. But I think that's important because it shows I'm not complacent. I still appreciate Media and Technology for what it has afforded us in terms of connectedness and social change. I feel more well-rounded and versed going forward with what the future holds in relation to when technology and media starts shifting. I get to point out what I'm seeing backed up with real scholarly concepts. 

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