Reflection on Transparency Society and Murs Alison Visit

During the first weeks of the Media class, we were exposed to two exciting world views relating to media usage and its impact on individuals. We read and discussed in class The Transparency Society from Byung-Chul Han. In his book, Han argues that freedom is an illusion and that having complete transparency online like the one we do is eliminating our privacy. For me, it was eye-opening to realize how much of my information is owned by media companies. The book made me think of the actions that I participate in every day on my electronic devices, and how that affects my privacy. Furthermore, the author’s argument that we are in a digital panopticon is frightening to me.
We also had Murs Alison, a digital content creator to come to talk to us about his experience as an Instagram influencer. He seemed to be entirely consumed by his work, and the social media networks. An insight touched upon in class that I find truly valuable is that we are all aware of the transparency society, but influencers are winning since they are at least gaining something from this panopticon. They are earning money by participating in this transparency society. I find troubling how we are all being raised to be consumers and how our interactions in media give them insights of ourselves that will help companies target us.
These two points of view make me more aware of the consequences of my media usage. However, I still believe they are both a little too polarized. I feel that I lie in between those two. Nevertheless, I still am grateful for the knowledge that I gained from these experiences that will serve me to decide how I want to interact online.

I am an international student from Venezuela that desires to communicate with the world around me visually. I hope that I can become a part of the global conversation where I can tell stories that are untold. With a background in business and languages, I have experienced how different fields will always connect at some points, and I aspire to reinforce that connection in my work. I believe that there is not one pure aesthetic, and therefore I have chosen to collaborate and learn from those around me to every day grow as an artist.

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