How digital media affected me

Submitted By: Heba Elshatoury

Location: Cairo, Egypt

Media making has impacted me in so many ways. The Adobe Youth Voices program was a turning point in my life; it gave me the opportunity to express myself and creatively reflect on several issues and causes in my community. The Adobe Youth Voices program taught me how to create with purpose. Before I joined the Adobe Youth Voices program I have never thought that I have a way to express myself and communicate anything I want to a wide audience, but since then everything changed. Media making gives me the opportunity to bring out many issues that my community faces and problems that I face personally by using creative methods. Now I feel that I have a voice to be heard and I will always have a tool to communicate my worries to many people around the world. Getting the chance to express myself and share my thoughts made me believe I have got a role in this life to play; I have a mission to accomplish, which is to make this world a better place for everyone.

Whenever I think now that there is something that I need to communicate to people and I must raise awareness towards a certain cause I think first about making a media artwork that is powerful so it will reach out to people quickly and impact them personally. Even in college when I was taking a course called ‘Creative Expression of Resistance’ I had this final project in which I will be the artist and resist against anything I want that affects me. For this final project I chose to make a photo poster to talk about stereotyping against women and how it affects them and make them act accordingly. I also wanted to empower women not to listen to these stereotypes and never give it any attention or make them change the way they act. Media making is so powerful, it changes so many people and it is so appealing for younger generations who are the future leaders and change makers. Media making gave me the chance to communicate my thoughts and ideas with no limits or restrictions. Now I feel that I have a voice to be heard and that no matter what I will still have a tool that would carry my ideas and share it with everyone.