#cmns201

Question 5: How does your media use interact with a notion of Canadian-ness or national belonging?

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The relationship between my media use and my sense of national belonging is somewhat complicated. I don’t actually consume a lot of Canadian media, and when I do, I only realize afterward that I did. It is often difficult for me to separate Canadian media from American or global media, because so much of what I follow is international content, even when it involves Canadian perspectives. I barely know about local events and focus more on global issues as a result. Even relying on Canadian news sources for some of my information, including CTV News, Global News, and CBC News, I’m more likely to see an article about what’s happening in America than one on Canadian politics, unless it has made the front page. I consume news from Canadian sources, but that doesn’t necessary feel like Canadian media to me.

More recently however, Canada’s presence has been cast into the spotlight through Artemis II. As I highlighted in my blog post on my role as an audience member, I’ve been following the Artemis Mission, where Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen is making history as the first non-American to travel beyond low Earth orbit and travel around the moon. He is joined by Christina Koch, the first woman to do so; Van Glover, the first person of color; and Reid Wisemn, the first person to command a crewed lunar mission since the Apollo 17. Consistent news coverage, social media posts, updates from NASA, actively following the livestream, and reports from Canadian media outlets have kept me engaged with this mission in real time. I’ve continued to check back on the crew every day.

Even though the Artemis program is a U.S.-led mission and not strictly Canadian media, Hansen’s involvement has made me feel connected to a broader community that values space travel and science in the same way I do, which is why I feel a bit discouraged seeing it come to an end.

" The Artemis II crew- (from left) Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Pilot Victor Glover, and Commander Reid Wiseman-pause for a group photo inside the Orion spacecraft on their way home" (NASA, 2026).

References:

Question 4: How is your experience of traditional media different from your experience with new media?

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Traditional media refers to communication delivered through physical or broadcast formats, which Gasher et al. (2016) describe as including “film, books, magazines, television and radio broadcasting … as well as an increasing range of new electronic information and communications technologies” (p. 337). While I did encounter some of these forms growing up, traditional media wasn’t really as prominent in my life as I initially thought; instead, new media played a much bigger role in shaping my experiences.

Growing up in the early 2000s, I had access to a variety of traditional media, mostly through my parents. I spent countless hours listening to their cassette tapes and music CDs. While I no longer use the cassettes, I still occasionally pull out my music player to listen to albums from my dad’s collection of 80s and 90s classics. It was through those albums that I discovered the artists I'd later come to love, like Michael Jackson, Madonna, and bands like Hardline, Vital Signs, and Journey when I first started getting into rock. Music played a central role in shaping my media habits and personal tastes as a kid, which eventually led me to curating my own CD playlists to listen to inspired by my dad’s collection. Listening to the radio was just as enjoyable for me, but nothing matched the connection I felt to these physical media collections.

New media began to play a larger role in my life once the family computer entered the picture. It was my first exposure to the internet, and I quickly became fascinated with research. I would send hours after school learning about space, dinosaurs, the magma crater beneath Yellowstone National Park--just about anything a ten-year-old obsessed with science could get lost in. YouTube amplified this curiosity for me, often leading me down rabbit holes of analysis videos, vlogs, documentaries, and so much more.

I liked involving my little sister in many of these activities, and we would play online games together on platforms like Roblox, Cool Math Games, or various Flash Player games that have since disappeared after support for it was discontinued. This was long before I got my first Wii, Nintendo 3Ds, or iPad, which later became my main entry into console gaming. By high school, my sibling and I were playing more console games, while my friends introduced me to manga, webcomics, and fanfiction, all part of the broader world of media the internet has to offer. I also transitioned to reading more books online once I had my first laptop, and social media became a part of my daily media use only after 2020.

While traditional media laid the foundation for much of the content I engage with now, new media expanded my opportunities to connect with others, including my friends and family in an away that keeps us all close despite being of different ages and interested in different things. Almost everything that I do now relies on new media, but I will never negate the benefits traditional media has also brought into my life.

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Question 3: What is your role as a media audience member?

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My role as a media audience member is not fixed, because the way I engage with media tends to vary depending on what I am consuming, and why I am consuming it in the first place.

The majority of my everyday media use is fairly casual, as I was able to observe in my media log. I use social media to keep up with family and friends, follow my favorite artists and celebrities, participate in literary groups, stay informed on current events, and explore whatever else happens to catch my attention. However, my actual interactions with posts online tend to be more subdued. I am more inclined to leave a like, bookmark, or occasionally repost something than I am to leave a comment. Despite this, I do not think that quieter participation necessarily means it's passive.

I also noticed that my media use can shift quite a bit between active and passive use depending on the context. Some days, I consume media casually as a way to pass the time, whether that means scrolling or putting something on in the background to listen to while I attend to other tasks. Other days, I become much more engaged, especially when it comes to topics I genuinely care about. A good example of this is the ongoing Artemis II mission, which I have been actively following since April 1st. When I found out about the launch, I began keeping up with the live coverage daily and reading into some of the history related to NASA's moon missions as the crew's trajectory around the moon unfolded in real time.

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Question 2: How have commercial interests (e.g. media ownership, advertising) influenced your media use and experience?

I consume media across multiple platforms, and TikTok is a good example of how commercial interests show up in ways that aren’t always as obvious. Some advertisements explicitly state that they are ads, which is straightforward. But I have come across users on my algorithm that appear to be normal account at first, yet actually contain undisclosed advertisements for certain brands, which can be hard to notice if not explicitly stated.

While tracking my media usage, I spent an afternoon watching YouTube videos while sketching. Among them was a video titled, everything online is an (undisclosed) ad, where Meg, the host of the channel, discusses how advertisements are becoming increasingly unavoidable. At the beginning of her video, she mentions that “you can barely open your eyes without being advertised to, let alone when you use your phone, there will be an ad on there” (meg, 2006, 0:26). While listening, she brings up the topic of relatability marketing, a strategy brands use to engage with their customer base by “creating authentic connections” and mirroring their lives through user-generated content rather than relying on traditional advertisement strategies (meg, 2006, 1:12). I agreed with Meg when she questions the legality of this practice because it has become a widespread issue--creators produce relatable content to promote products without properly disclosing paid partnerships.

Advertisements are everywhere. I’m only able to bypass most of them because of the number of ad blockers and website blockers I use, which means I don’t need to see unwanted content. I like to curate my social media feeds carefully, so I only see the content I want, and this idea links to my broader role as a media audience member as well. I take an active role in shaping my media environment. I don’t want to see ads, and I actively work to avoid them.

Expanding on this, commercial interests also show up in the way media platforms operate. Many platforms are designed to keep users engaged, which often means trending videos are pushed more than content that challenges viewer’s perspectives. In my experience though, the algorithm mainly shows me content related to my interests rather than trends. I see a lot of art and fandom content, but occasionally advertisements for brands selling t-shirts of my favourite media, jewellery, or music artists promoting their latest releases will appear on my feed.

Films are another area where I have noticed commercial interests are very apparent. Product placement is sometimes intentional, like in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. It’s main character, Miles Morales wears a pair of Nike Air Jordans that are central to his character identity but also serve as a major marketing point in the film. Sony, the company behind Into the Spider-Verse markets its own products in the movie as well. Other brand names appear in subtle ways too. In Mile’s universe, there is an ad for “Koca Soda” in the background of one scene, which is mirrored in an alternate dimension, that of Peter B. Parker’s. The same billboard shown in Mile’s universe features Coca-Cola, the real-world brand, in Parker’s universe instead, which is only one example of how advertisements can be woven directly into storytelling as well.

In general, advertisements are so ingrained in all forms of media that it can be frustrating for someone who actively tries to avoid them. However, I don’t agree with labelling advertisements as inherently bad, no matter how bothersome they may be. Ads allow companies, small business, and individuals to promote their products and earn revenue. Without ads, some website or blogs wouldn’t be able to earn commission. Some advertisements also exist to raise awareness of global issues and criseses as well. I encounter a mix of both of these types of commercials, and I believe support should be directed toward the people and causes that genuinely need it.  

Even though I dislike ads, following gaming companies, and clothing brands is a form of engagement with commercial interests too. Overall, while commercial interests exist everywhere in modern media, I try to navigate them thoughtfully, choosing what to engage with and what to ignore.

References:

Question 1: How has media convergence impacted your media use?

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After a week of tracking my media consumption, I am only now sitting down to write these posts--which feels fitting, considering how all-over-the-place much of my media use actually was. My habits jump between devices and platforms constantly, which I believe is the perfect illustration for media convergence in action.

Media convergence is described by Wagman & Winton (2014) as "the merging of media delivery systems, such as the phone that records and plays video, the computer that streams television and radio, and the television that streams video from the internet" (p. 118). Devices that once served separate purposes now overlap, allowing individuals to access multiple forms of media in one place. When I think back to the time my parents were growing up in Pakistan, they had to rely on separate sources for almost all the media they consumed. This meant they would get their news in print and rely on a single television channel, PTV, until the early 1990s when the internet became widely available and an additional eighty television channels were introduced. Today, that same content is available instantly on laptop, tablet, or phone, supplemented with streaming platforms, news websites, online communities and social media.

For me, the greatest impact of media convergence is that it allows me to follow content across multiple platforms and encourages me to actively engage with media, rather than passively consuming it. I rarely experience media in just one form or on a single platform anymore, unlike when I was in high school.

A recent example of this is when I started watching Trigun Stargaze, adapted from Yashiro Nightow's Trigun: Maximum manga, on my computer each Saturday it was released. I had finished Trigun Stampede, the first season, in 2024, so I was excited to follow the new series. I watched the episodes through Crunchyroll, a streaming platform. Previews for the episodes and promotional posters would be released by Studio Orange on their respective social media accounts on either Twitter or Instagram and I looked forward to seeing what they were trying to reveal during these previews, as well as the speculation that would follow.

When watching Stargaze, if I didn’t finish an episode on my computer, I would catch up on it using my phone during my spare time, such as when commuting somewhere via transit like I did last week. Afterwards, I checked my social media to read discussions and see people’s reactions to the episodes. This same pattern applies to other media I follow, including podcasts, comics, and news updates. I might read an article on my laptop, listen to a related podcast on my phone, and join online discussions based off of the topic later in the day. I frequently multi-task between different forms of media, but media convergence has made my consumption more flexible overall.

References:

Over the next week, I am tracking my media use for my CMNS 201 course. The goal, as stated in the course outline, is to “comment, reflect, and analyze aspects of my media diet that become clearer to me from the tracking exercise.”

One topic is media convergence. Gasher, Skinner, and Lorimer (2016) describe convergence as “the merging, or bringing together, of a wide range of previously separate and distinct communication technologies and media” (p.20). 

I predominantly consume media digitally due to convergence. If I think about the CBC today, I follow all their content via the internet on a mobile device. The new media and old are: podcast app—previously radio, YouTube—previously TV broadcasts, and News app—previously physical newspapers. All of this is converged even more if I just go to the CBC mobile app.

Even video games, which have always been digital media, are no longer stored on a separate physical object like a cartridge or disk. This makes access to games easier and more affordable. If I had to purchase individual games, I would be less likely to purchase games and definitely would not play the same variety of games. This is true for news media as well. When multiple newspapers are on one application, I peruse a wider selection compared to having to pick up multiple paper copies. 

Finally, media convergence has made my media consumption interactive. This occurs when I click to watch, click “like” or share an Instagram reel or YouTube video. Each interaction sends data to the platform and influences what the platform will show me next. I no longer change TV channels to decide what to watch; the next “channel” is pushed in front of me. 

         For the sake of this assignment, I went back to my Media Audience blog post and the critique I got in my evaluation. As it was early in the course and I was focused on making progress, I overlooked the deeper meaning in what I was writing as it pertained to the course. As per the tutor’s thoughts, I was missing the importance of my role as a prosumer in media. A prosumer is someone who can act as a consumer, producer and distributor of media rather than taking a position as being “passive receptacles of media” (Klein, 2017). I spend a fair share of time as an audience to film and feel very passionately about it, which drives me to write about my thoughts through apps like Letterboxd. I take the time to write my reviews, reference external influences of my thoughts, and promote the films that I believe people should see and enjoy. As a consumer, I pay for a subscription to this app that allows me aesthetic benefits and ad removal for my experience with the app and can imply a bit of prestige for other users who look through my account (Savage, 2014). Letterboxd then has my money to improve user experience and pay staff, but the data they collect from myself and all users is free to them and increases their profit as well.

A concern I outline in my blog post is the impact of targeted media and advertisements online that can lead to an echo chamber of ideologies and impact mental health as well. I focused on the internet in expressing my concern for audiences, but this extends further to traditional media and examples of media convergence as well. Gasher et al., (2016) touch on the anomaly of cultural products and how audiences are exposed to cultural products and hidden advertisements because those with a vested interest can control things like what is advertised, and the costs associated with them. This is important to my previous argument because similar to how people experience curated online, people have always chosen what shows, movies, newspapers and more that they invest their time into. For example, if someone is tuning into the same show each week, whether broadcasted or through streaming, they could be influenced by the intentions of those with vested interests over time. It sheds light on the importance of diverse programming and voices in media, to break up the penetration of single influences and ideologies.  

This ties into the important topic how media is regulated with the audience in mind, whether that be traditional media or new media. In a Canadian context, the CRTC has struggled at length with improving legislation as technology and media have rapidly evolved (Shtern & Blake, 2014). Not everyone agrees that the CRTC is always necessary in holding power over broadcasting and telecommunications, but that overlooks the impact of allowing media concentration (specifically vertical integration) to dominate the market more than it already does (Shtern & Blake, 2014). Despite the intervention of regulatory bodies, there are still many issues such as the “lack of ownership diversity, leading to a situation in which four major companies exercise considerable control over Canada’s broadcast and telecom systems” (Shtern & Blake, 2014, p. 94). This means that audience members have to exercise more critical thinking and consideration of the media they consume, but also that platforms online that allow diverse voices are more important than ever.

References:

Gasher, M., Skinner, D., Lorimer, R. (2016). Mass communication in a digital age. In Mass communication in Canada (8th ed.) (pp. 336–361). Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.

Klein, R. (2017). CMNS 201. Introduction to Communication Studies. Study Guide. Edmonton: Athabasca University.

Savage, P. (2014). Audiences are key. In L. R. Shade (Ed.). Mediascapes: New patterns in Canadian communication (4th ed.), (pp. 127–149). Toronto, ON: Nelson Education