The End (A Summary)

Tracking my media interactions has actually been really enlightening.  I interact with the media in so many ways every day, but it was never something I paid much attention to. Now, I’m much more aware of it. Over the five days, I think I spent the largest percentage of my time on social media, which is kind of depressing. I think I am going to try to cut back because it’s honestly a pointless pastime.  Additionally, I spent a fair bit of time watching Netflix and movies as well. There was a little of bit of music listening, a little bit of article reading, and a couple of books.  All in all, I just wish that I got more out of my media interactions; for instance, I wish that I learned more or became better in some way because of them, and I feel like that is not very often the case.  Oh well. At least I enjoy myself while I watch cat videos and movie trailers, and I guess that’s the most important thing.

The Creepiest Day - 11/20/14

Today was a good day. I started off by sleeping in and listening to Christmas music while I got ready. I scanned through Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, too.  I read through some articles on Hypable.com, my favorite of which was a review of Mockingjay. It was written by a fan, and he thought it was actually really good, despite what the critics are saying. Also on Hypable, I watched the trailer for the Disney’s new live-action Cinderella, which is coming out in March. I am so excited to see it, it looks great! While writing an essay, I listened to some Christian music, and then I did my Bible study. Then, I listened to 1989 again while doing homework – I can’t help it, I love it so much! My last interaction with the media was by far the creepiest – my friend Elise showed me an article on the 5news app about a man who murdered two people with a machete in Fort Smith, which is right next to my hometown.  The worst part? I went to high school with him! He was quoted as saying: “I didn’t mean to kill them – I was just going to incapacitate them, but when I started swinging I couldn’t stop.” SO creepy.

The Craziest Interview - 11/19/14

Today. Today I was supposed to write an entire essay and I actually wrote approximately 1/16 of it. How disappointing. Instead of writing, I watched YouTube videos created by Fleur DeForce, Sprinkleofglitter, and Zoella, which were entertaining yet a complete waste of my time.  I also got very overexcited about the newly released clip for Mockingjay, which I literally could not be more excited to see on Friday morning at 12am. In further procrastination, I read the most ridiculous interview I have ever encountered – a writer for the NY Times blog interviewed Jaden & Willow Smith, and it was absolute nonsense. Not only were the Smith siblings spouting utter crap that they were trying to disguise as wisdom, but the interviewer… well, to be honest I can’t decide if the interviewer was equally crazy or the most put together human being of all time.  She just ran with their babble, whether she believed it or not, and continued asking questions that just prompted them to be more ridiculous.  The whole thing was just truly appalling. Of course I also scrolled through Twitter and Instagram, even having a mild spat with my brother via the former.  While I was folding laundry, I watched the last half of one episode of Gilmore Girls and the first half of the next episode. In the only productive thing I did all day (besides the laundry), I flipped back through The Murder of Tutankhamen to assist me in the mostly non-existent essay writing.  Lastly, I did my Bible study which, again, obviously entailed reading the Bible.  Here’s hoping the next few days will be far more productive.

Christmastime is Here - 11/18/14

Today has been much more productive than yesterday.  I worked on homework whilst listening to Taylor Swift’s new(ish) CD, 1989, which I have of course fallen in love with. I also caught up on my bible study on SheReadsTruth.com, which I was sadly five days behind on even though it is by far my favorite bible study that I’ve ever done. (By extension, I also read the Bible, and it occurs to me that it is probably one of the oldest forms of media ever.) When I was driving around town I listened to Christmas music on Magic 107.9. Side note: I AM SO PUMPED ABOUT CHRISTMAS. I spent any extra time I had on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. Notably, I follow Vintage Violet on Instagram, and they posted a picture informing everybody that they were having a sale today.  So naturally I hopped in my car and went right over there; so there you go, now social media is directly influencing my economic decisions (which is actually kinda terrifying). I pinned significantly fewer things today than yesterday, and the things I did pin were far more diverse: everything from gift ideas to clothing to food, all of which were somewhat Christmas themed.  I can’t help it, I view Thanksgiving as merely a roadblock on the way to Christmas and I’m already thinking about lights and trees and presents and hot chocolate.

Let's Be Honest - 11/17/14

Today, I spent an ungodly amount of time on Pinterest.  I just can’t help it; I’m addicted. It’s easy to pull up on my phone and easy to spend hours at a time on.  Also, I basically pinned only wedding stuff, so that adds a whole other layer of embarrassing since I am as far as possible from actually planning a wedding.  That said, I did a few other things today as well.  I read a few articles on Hypable.com, and my favorite was definitely the one about the recently released title of Start Wars: Episode VII. I also spent too much time on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, but who doesn’t? (Quick side note: I really hate Facebook.  I only get on it to read the articles people share because I’m rapidly becoming a nerd about journalism and also because I want to see how all the weirdos I went to high school with are surviving.) Additionally, I read The Murder of Tutankhamen for my World Civ I class, which is actually very interesting but admittedly hard to focus on with the lure of Pinterest. Lastly, I watched a few more episodes of Gilmore Girls because I am obsessed and Netflix is taking over my life.  Sad, isn’t it?

Not Extremely Well-Cultured - 11/6/14

It’s funny how often we encounter the media.  As college students, we encounter it far more than most people and yet probably notice its presence far less.  Today, for instance, I encountered the media in more ways that I can probably count or remember.  Notably, though, I watched season 5 episode 5 of Gilmore Girls, which I have been binge watching for the last month, and the Disney movie Mulan, both on Netflix.  (Which, coincidentally, tends to be the number one way I watch any movie or TV show anymore.) Additionally, I watched the movie Paris, Je T’aime with the French Film club and I was pleasantly surprised – it was a really great film. Clearly, movies occupy a huge part of my time because I watched two in one day. Also, today alone I spent an excessive amount of time on social media (specifically Twitter and Facebook) where I watched silly videos on the former and read various articles that I don’t even remember now on the latter.  The videos were entirely pointless and honestly just a waste of time, but the articles were informative in some cases, at least to the extent that they showed me what my friends believe. I read an article about the terminally ill woman who recently died after moving to Oregon to take advantage of their Death with Dignity Law, and an article spouting entirely biased information about Obama’s perceived religious beliefs. I didn’t learn anything particularly useful, but I am now at least slightly more informed. My media contacts today were not extremely well-cultured or anything, but I encountered the media nonetheless.