Have you ever thought about how much media you consume in two days? Well I consciously logged the amount I consumed, and my head is still spinning from media madness. The media are a huge part of our everyday life, whether we like it or not. Through my log I noticed patterns of media I involuntarily consumed, filled in with media I accessed, such as social networking sites and media applications on my blackberry.
Choosing what to eat for lunch from Starbucks, while being extra conscious of media, made me realize I wasn't just picking from a yogurt parfait or chicken salad sandwich, but also which logo to indulge in.
I started my log on friday of last week, filled with 70 degree weather, and lots of consumed media.. that I eventually couldn’t get away from. I would have never thought that logging this would be so exhausting. But I quickly proved myself wrong, often filling in multiple channels of media each hour. My hand is still cramping. I’m a pretty active girl, I don’t just sit in front of the TV for hours. I was shocked to realize that even though I am always on the go, I still consume a plethora of media. Just walking around campus I saw advertisements, TV programs playing in the dining halls, heard the radio playing in cars, all of which were inevitably interrupted by my Blackberry blinking with a media message. I realized the only time I am not consuming media is during my yoga classes, and while I sleep. Even when I eat I consume food with a huge side of media!
So much of media that we consume is for social purposes. Mass media has become a way to socialize and keep in touch. For mind-boggling facts about the Social Media Revolution check out this video:
What came as a shock to me was how often I use my cell phone. I was either receiving a call, sending a text, or checking an email multiple times, every hour of the day. Assuming I am awake 12 hours in a day, and spend 10 minutes on my cell phone every hour; I spend 120 minutes in a day consuming mass media through my blackberry. YIKES! The epiphany came to me, I use my blackberry to fill in the gaps of my day. Its like when media isn’t around me, I crave it. It is comforting to feel connected with my friends, as well as what is going on in the world. A blackberry is to me, and a teddy bear is to a toddler!
Walking through the Baltimore Inner Harbor at night, I realized there were barely any street lights. How did I keep from falling into the Harbor, or bumping into pedestrians? The city was still brightly lit. No, I wasn’t walking by moonlight. The streets were lit by media; colorful lights of logos and advertisements. This wasn’t too much of a shock. Media paradoxically feels like an intrinsic part of my life. While it is completely manmade and unnatural, it has become such a norm that it feels totally natural to see huge glowing billboards instead of trees.
Baltimore Inner Harbor at night
I am not ashamed to say I engage in the media madness. An example of media convergence, the online New York Times newspaper, helped me my write my English paper about Egypt’s Internet shut off. Accessing media is a part of my everyday routine. Do I feel a need to cut back on my media consumption? Media keeps me informed, connected, and knowledgeable.
Julia Watkins 