Thinking and Writing about Digital Media

We take in media for a variety of reasons including gathering information, learning a new fact or skill, or entertainment, just to name a few. For me, media consumption can be broken into two general categories: mindless consumption and mindful consumption. I have certainly been both types of consumer. On the one hand, I walk to campus listening to music on my phone. I'm usually not focused on the lyrics or message, as profound or as meaningless as it may be, but it is a background soundscape to my solitary thoughts. I watch a YouTube video of a chocolate chip cookie blind taste test, where the hosts determine which are the best brands, because I want to wind down or take a break from homework. I am mindlessly consuming for the sake of "giving my brain a break." 

On the other hand, I walk through a gallery of paintings, stopping to think about why the artist used this specific lighting or these angles and characters to tell the story, and how the piece makes me feel about myself and my world. I watch a movie with a group of friends, thinking about the scenes that resonated with me and why, who I want to share this story with later, and the moments and lines that I want to discuss with this group when the movie is over. This is not to say that listening to music is always mindless, or that walking through a gallery is always mindful--I, myself, tend to finish my walk around the entire installation before my mother is finished taking in the third piece--but that there are different tactics and reasons for our media consumption.

Some types of media that bring me pleasure include movies (pretty much any type but horror), music (pretty much any type but country), theater (pretty much any type but...I don't know, but there's some weird stuff out there that I just can't get behind), and paintings (specifically about families and nature). Photographs hold a special place in my heart as a means of personal media creation and consumption. Pictures capture a memory, a thought, a moment in time, a story that comes right back to my mind the second I look at the image. I take so many pictures and I often look back at them so I can hold onto those memories. 

With so much media and information accessible literally at the tap of a finger, personal guidelines are important for keeping a healthy relationship and balance with media usage. Instagram is my only social media source. I know that hearing and seeing bad language gets it stuck in my head, so I'm careful about the vocabulary in the materials I engage with. I know that I can do better about being more mindful about my consumption habits and creating more to participate in a conversation, like we discussed in class last week, instead of letting everything wash over me. 

If I want to teach students to be mindful about their media and consumption habits, I need to be a living example. I can set more timers, prioritize my time and energy better, and surround myself with media that is high quality, uplifting, thought provoking, and that invites me to be an active participant.