conscious media consumption
i have been thinking a lot about my media consumption. especially when it comes to my digital media consumption. i consume a lot of media. i read, i listen, and i watch. since the pandemic, i haven't been very conscious of my reading, listening, and watching habits. in january of this year, i spent some time thinking about how my media consumption habits have been influenced by ai algorithms. a month earlier, i felt the urge to buy a book only to realise it was effectively advertised to me via my algorithm. it wasn't a book i would normally want to read, but somehow my brain glitched and told me to buy it.
i did not buy the book. but the thought that my digital media consumption habits had seeded the urge to buy it frightened me. after this, i became slightly more aware of what i was consuming. still, this awareness wasn't enough to curb the real addiction: endless browsing. worse than the media i was consuming, my real habit was scrolling through news and blog feeds, reading a snippet of one blog or the headline of a news article and moving on to the next seemingly endless browsing session. this browsing habit extended to youtube, where clickbait is so effective that even being aware of it, the compulsion to click is irresistible. next thing you know, some scamfluencer is peddling a shitty book your way. damn the algorithm.
this had me thinking, maybe i can start logging the media i consume and where i consume it. this is one step toward a more conscious and intentional browsing and consumption pattern. i created a little logging script in cli (that logs my media consumption and feeds it to a git page) which slows me down. i am more aware of how and where i am browsing for media, because i want to use my media logger. i want to feel some sense of care and pride of the media that i am logging. it takes effort. it is an extra step that makes me stop to think a little more clearly.
being more intentional about how and where you are consuming your media can also open the web back up to you. less doomscrolling and more intentional exploration. the logger is simple enough: it is a noncomprehensive sometimes daily log of most of the media i consume. i have made it public (in part to shame me to consume better media). it has made me want to share better media. instead of endless browsing and doomscrolling, i have found myself asking friends what they have been reading, watching, or listening to.
i have gotten great recommendations, not just for media ... but where to find it. my social media use has curbed substantially, and i only use it now as i used it in the late 90's and early 2000's (to keep in touch with friends and family). the log itself is a tool to help me curb my poor media consumption habits. it is not about accountability or anything like that, it is about feeling good about and taking pride in the media i consume and how i find it in the first place. it all started with the desire to buy a book that i knew i didn't want, but was still willing to buy.
now i understand that doomscrolling and endless browsing increase underlying stress in me and this in turn triggers some strange impulsive behaviours. this is something i need to end in my life. so hello to a new era in which i track my media consumption (as best i can) to help me be mindful and pick my media with intention rather than impulse.
i have added my media logger to my homepage. you can also check it out here, or below.