Today, we’re surrounded with more media than any of us can imagine. Chances are, at least one of us have texted while watching TV and listening to the newest album we downloaded while talking to our friends on IM and updating our facebook status. I don’t know about you, but it can get pretty overwhelming sometimes.

What we think about ourselves, others, and the world in which we live is all shaped by the media that we consume...that’s why it’s important to decide what media we will consume and how much we consume.

There are some staggering facts out there right now about teens and the media they consume. Here are just a few:
Teens spend an average of 30 hours online every month
Teens spend an average of 2 hours per day watching TV
Teens spend at least 30 minutes a day watching video online
Over 79% of teens currently have a cell phone
Boys are twice as likely to post videos online
48% of teens have an online social network profile

We are surrounded by media. The question isn’t how we find more media to fill our lives with, the question is, how do we unplug?

We first have to realize where we are plugged in. How hard would it be for you to not watch TV, use your cell phone, use the internet, or see movies? If I’m honest, it would be pretty hard.

I’m not saying that all media is bad. There are great movies, great TV shows, and great music out there. It’s not a matter of quality, it’s a matter of quantity. Doughnuts are great things too, but when you eat them in excess, they quickly become a bad thing and lose their flavor. Media can also be a good thing, but when it starts to dominate our lives it becomes bad.

The funny thing about media is that most of the time we think that we are in control. What is this (a remote). A remote CONTROL right? That’s the funny thing, while you feel like you’re in control, you’re only controlling what is controlling you. Think about what happened with the doughnuts, at first I convinced him that he wanted to eat some doughnuts, but after a while he just kept going because I told him to. The media we consume is the same way, we first think we are in control but little by little we start to resemble the media we are consuming.

Why should we unplug? Well, it’s only when we unplug that we can really hear from those close to us and not the advertisements telling us who we should be!

My challenge to you tonight is to unplug. Try something this week, instead of turing on the TV, the computer, or your video game console leave it off. Spend a minute with someone in your family, call a friend, or even better, just be quiet. What happens might surprise you.