There are a lot of changes I want to see in the world, but when I thought about it further, I realised that the only thing I can change is myself.
At first, I thought that it would be really nice if I found a way for everyone to live in harmony between the digital world and the real world. As I have experienced life both with and without smartphones, I’m somewhat biased about extended screen time. However, this world, particularly related to technological and digital developments, is natural to the young generations called digital natives, and one thing that has remained constant is our need to communicate and form relationships within and across generations. Our self-awareness and potential for self-discovery arguably impact our communications. I have researched self-discovery and digital media literacy regarding technological advances that have significantly impacted our self-awareness and how we perceive and present ourselves to others compared with the mass media era in the cultural setting.
However, the more I explored, the more I felt as if I had missed something important. So I decided to go back to explore the more fundamental aspects.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once proclaimed, “A man should learn to detect and watch the gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the luster of the firmament of bards and sages. Yet he dismisses without notice his thought because it is his.” I sense that people are not sufficiently engaging in introspection or reflection about their true needs and desires.
It can be seen that society discourages “personal trust” and encourages conformity, so we’re fooled into believing we are happy because other people tell us we are. Furthermore, through the education of our family and friends, we are conditioned to want what we want, and our lives are directed by the glitter of others rather than the light of our own hearts.
Bombarded by many images, our current culture stimulates us and our desires, but I wonder if it is also a process of seeing other people’s desires and believing that they are ours. It looks like the nature of digital media these days can accelerate this process and make us lose sight of who we really are.
The change I want to see is that we can see the gleam of light within ourselves. We should live by the light in our hearts. In order to believe in ourselves, we can channel the courage to be who we truly are. Engaging in self-reflection is of critical importance.
I want to see us trying to avoid looking for ourselves outside of ourselves, and I hope we can create moments where we can truly connect with ourselves from within. Reflecting on oneself is more important rather than just looking at oneself. We also need to be true to ourselves and do what we believe is right, not what others say.
During the intervention on my last project, I encountered many people trying to look beyond their relationships for reasons why they were unhappy. I’ve seen people blame their unhappiness on countless sources, including lack of communication, inadequate time, excessive consumerism, and even the instantaneity of digital media, which many have suggested leads to overstimulated desires that undermine our relationships.
I believe that if we seek to coexist in harmony with everything in the world – whether it be our relationships to ourselves and one another; our real lives and our digitised lives; and our projected self-images and our true selves then we must unlock our true selves and live according to the light that emanates from within. This process of self-discovery is intrinsically connected to our happiness. Some people perceive happiness in terms of Hedonism, whereas others regard happiness as central to the process of realising our life’s purpose, which may lead us to experience a variety of fulfilling emotions.
We can find our happiness through periods of self-reflection. We must dedicate time to look within ourselves beyond the things that do not reflect our interior light. This process can enable us to linger in the present moment and facilitate self-discovery.
Self-discovery is the process of exploring their inner worlds and discovering their values, capabilities, interests, and goals. This exploration can then be used to inform how individuals authentically lead their lives. Media literacy is the ability to understand, analyse, critically approach, and utilise media. This skill is essential in the modern world and is closely related to self-discovery because media greatly impacts our values, perceptions, behaviours, choices, and more. Increasing media literacy paves the way for richer self-discovery.
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