Conventions

You know a piece of digital media has rocketed through your "Manifestation Baseline" when you plan on going to a convention. The type of convention I'm talking about is the type full of nerds in costumes, people paying tons of money for autographs and photographs of the actors of their favorite characters, the buying and selling of collectible merchandise, etc. I love going to conventions. When I was younger, the only type of convention I knew about was an anime convention, a convention dedicated to Japanese animation and the fanbase of Japanese animation in Chicago. But now I know there are more than just anime conventions. There are sci-fi conventions, comic conventions, television show conventions, I've been to all kinds at this point. What is the reason for going to and spending money at these types of places?

I realized that digital media can be an important and meaningful part of a person's life for some. There are people, myself included, who are escapists, meaning they use digital media as a means to "escape" or forget their ordinary lives and dream of a different one, if only for an hour or so. These people tend to really get involved with digital media, so much so that it will affect their behavior in real life, like going to conventions. Conventions are also great places to meet people with similar interests, as everyone there has a huge interest in common already. And it is a place where you do not have to be ashamed about having digital media break your manifestation baseline, because it obviously does for everyone there. Last, conventions are a place to buy merchandise relating to whichever digital media is represented there. Buying merchandise helps support the media but also helps the fans. Just carrying around a piece of your favorite media can have an affect on you. Maybe carrying around a pendant your hero wears will make you feel stronger, or maybe you love waking up to a poster of your favorite show every morning to motivate you.

Small things like this can have a big affect on people, so that's why I have a great appreciation for conventions that allow people affected deeply by digital media to have a place where they can relax and geek out to their heart's content.