Why My Voice Matters?

This term was an eye-opener for me. Not only did I learn how to create an online platform, but I renewed my love for East Asian media and discovered some new movies along the way. The biggest challenge for me this term was attempting to fully figure out how to create and run this blog. I had the most frustrating tech challenges, like trying to turn comments on so that anyone could post a comment. I think I read about ten different articles explaining how to do it, until I just figured it out myself by clicking into every editing tab. Although I cannot tell you now how I did that, I definitely learned a lot throughout this term about maintaining a blog, and how challenging that can be on a time limit. I like nothing more than writing, predominantly about things I enjoy, so being able to dedicate a whole class to writing on this subject matter made the semester a bit easier to digest.

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I began dabbling in East Asian media, specifically South Korean and Japanese, right around the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Though I had been watching anime before this, I did not get into live-action movies and shows until then. It all began with the psychological thriller Door Lock. With the way that movie kept me entertained for an hour and 42 minutes I did not stand a chance against delving more into the genre of foreign media. I watched more and more, until my Netflix became personally curated to show me majority East Asian media. During the start of the pandemic, I had a lot more time on my hands, so as life has become more chaotic again I ran out of time to continue delving into the genre. This class has renewed that interest and I have become invested in trying to find new shows and movies that I may enjoy. Dear Ex is a Taiwanese movie that I ended up watching solely for this class, but it ended up becoming one of my favorite movies. Now, I feel as though I am analyzing everything I watch and it makes the experience all the more enjoyable when afterwards I get to think more about it.

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In this instance, my voice matters because it is through my words that I am able to bring a broader audience into East Asian media. I love talking about the things I enjoy and I especially love when I can spread that enjoyment to other people. If even one person watches something that I reviewed I would be satisfied but even having my posts viewed means someone was introduced to a new movie or show. My voice matters simply because it does. I am able to use my voice to spread entertainment and at least once was able to dedicate a post to discussing poverty in one of these countries. No matter how niche or vague the subject, my voice matters because I am a different person who can bring something new to the table.