This is not my first attempt at blogging, and undoubtedly it won't be my last either, but for a while I've been looking for a place to put my thoughts on the media I experience both during my academic studies and the time I waste on the internet, and it was watching a fourteen-year-old episode of Doctor Who that gave me the brainwave I was looking for. Those who know me from my other outlets will know that Doctor Who is huge for me. It was the first media franchise I became hugely invested in, and it's the one that's stuck with me until today, but that's a topic I couldn't fit into just one post. However, there was one episode that particularly captured my imagination in 2006.
'Love and Monsters,' Now considered to be one of the most controversial episodes of all time, stood out to seven-year-old Sam for being the first time he had seen somebody experience the Doctor's adventures from ground level; someone very much like him. Of course, it was not until much later that he would fully understand the significance of the subtext behind this episode, which depicts a group of the Doctor's 'fans' joining together to celebrate their love and understanding of the character, before they are led astray by an 'influencer' who seeks to guide the group in the interests of his own personal gains. Arguably, the main character of this episode isn't Mark Warren or Peter Kay, or even the Doctor - the main character is passion, and the many forms it takes in the people who share a common interest. Will you choose to spread the love you feel, or let it devour you and reveal your inner monster?
We all have our own demons. Quite where I fit into the 'Love and Monsters' duology I'm not sure, but I'm certain it would come down to people's own perceptions of my online musings. I have grown and matured as a person, as we all naturally do, but we live in an age where we are judged by our online profiles of the past almost more intensely than our present, and it's scary to think that something stupid you said as a teenager and didn't mean may one day ruin your entire life. It is impossible to predict what the future will hold, but I hope this blog will be a good representation of me and my traversal throughout the planes of the media here and now; a space that is both free of scrutiny and open to criticism. As this blog is based on my creator site, I hope I will also be able to provide some context to where a lot of the inspiration for my work comes from, and shows how I have developed - and am still developing - as a creator.
And with that, welcome. I have lots planned over the next few months, so prepare to dive deep into the media I've been watching/reading/listening to/playing. This relatively short post should give you an idea of what you'll be seeing here in the coming future. This is not a review of the media itself, it's a review of what it's like watching the world change around me to a world where everybody is constantly consuming, and there is very little you can do to stop the onslaught of incoming media being targeted specifically at you by powers beyond your understanding.
Scary, I know.
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