Planning - Why I chose to study media

Media studies has always been a subject I've been intensely fascinated in. Being constantly surrounded by media, I wanted to explore and understand the industry much more. I decided to study it at GCSE level because the topics interested me but I just mainly wanted to take part in some filming, directing and photography. The more practical aspects of the course persuaded me. But along the way I became interested in studying representation and how people of different ethnicities, religion, sexuality, gender etc. are all portrayed through the media. The theoretical and controversial aspects of media changed the way I viewed everything around me - films, television shows, music videos, even the news. It made me question whether people of colour were being represented fairly and accurately. Was television news really a reliable source of updates on current affairs? How does the media affect people of today's society? I understood that my perception of the media prior to taking the GCSE in it was far too naive and ignorant. As a consumer, I had been far too passive. I thank myself everyday for taking media studies as it really opened my eyes into how the industry worked. I now know not to simply sit there and absorb everything the media throws at us. I have learnt to question and challenge it. To put it simply, media studies changed my life.

I decided to carry on with media studies into AS Level because I think there is still much more to be discussed and to be learned since it is an ever-growing industry.