A Day in the Life

As I write this entry, music is playing from a YouTube video by Norwegian Recycling. The artist’s clever name comes from what he has done; he’s taken several popular songs that already exist and blended them well like a professional DJ. Whoever this young man is, he is probably well aware of the chord progression in a song having to match that of another, creating a mix that is pleasurable to listen to. I have no doubt that his exposure to a fantastic amount of media and ability to get music from multiple locations off the internet has contributed to, if not entirely led to, his talent for mixing these popular songs to create something fresh and new. He has done this many times, mixing new songs as well as older ones from the 80’s and 90’s.
The immense network of mass media today is available in some form or another to almost everyone in the U.S., certainly to anyone with internet. Norwegian Recycling is allowed to share his art with anyone who is willing to listen to his compilations thanks to the internet. My life would be affected most drastically by the loss of internet than by any other medium. I do not watch TV except very occasionally with friends who enjoy it, but thanks to the internet I can get my news as well as extensive forms of communication, entertainment and information. One cannot deny that the internet has helped global communication grow and contributes almost perfectly to modern life. Of course everything has its fallbacks, and it is an understatement to say that many things on the internet should be taken with a grain of salt and questioned. Appropriateness of subject matter on the internet leads to an entirely different subject and complicates how we should go about using this medium. For the most part however, I believe the internet is more beneficial to society than degrading.
As well as the internet, my preferred media includes anything that can be read, music, and talking on the phone! Yes, I am one of the very few in my generation who actually prefers talking on the phone over texting, instant messaging and emailing. I don’t get to read newspapers as often as I’d like, but I read my parents’ Washington Post when I’m home as well as the New York Times. I love magazines, my biggest media weakness. Cosmopolitan is my favourite, and now that my friends bought a subscription for me as a Christmas present I’ll be careful to not let it distract me too much.