My Media Consumption in a Week
Inspired by Miriam Tinbery's recent newsletter, in which she tracked her media consumption from Monday to Friday, I decided to do the same to see what pattern emerges.
I mainly tracked media in the form of podcasts, music, TV shows, movies, YouTube videos, video games, and books, though I also note the time spent on social media every day. My main social media rotation includes Instagram and Reddit. I only use TikTok on the weekends, so Friday marks the start of my TikTok use.
My screentime in the week of Nov 3 - 7 is as follows:
Monday
Reddit: 13 minutes | Instagram: 9 minutes
Morning
Our cat, Kat, woke me up around 5:30 in the morning to change her food. Typically, we tend to ignore her, but today I decided to get up since I had to use the bathroom anyway. Unfortunately, I couldn't fall back asleep, so against my best instincts, I started reading newsletters on my iPad in the hopes of falling back asleep. Some of the newsletters I read are Tapped In, Milk Fed, and The Trend Report. I recommend reading The Trend Report published on November 2, specifically for the essay on how networking has evolved into what Kyle considers, grifting.
Tired of the screen, I picked up my physical copy of Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by ZZ Packer. I read a few pages of this short story collection, but didn't feel pulled to continue. I eventually put it aside to be read at a later date, since I'm in the mood for something a little less literary and more fantasy.
As I ate breakfast, I watched Gilmore Girls. This is my first time watching the beloved series, and I can understand why people find comfort in the show. It's based in a small town where everyone knows your name, and there is a sense of community where people come together to help one another. It's a walkable town where dining out is possible on a regular basis. In the current state of the world, where the discourse around community is the cost of inconvenience, there is also the anxiety-inducing rate at which the cost of living is rising. Dining out and getting takeout are considered points of luxury, so it's no wonder that people seek comfort in a time when all of those things were still possible.
But I digress. Some things I listened to this morning are Mini Scroll, my version of a daily newspaper, courtesy of Centennial World, while doing my physical therapy exercises. I experienced the worst back pain flare-up a week or two ago, so I'm trying to be more consistent with my physical therapy exercises to strengthen the muscles needed to reduce these flare-ups. While I got ready to go to the city, I listened to And That's Why We Drink (ATWWD), a true crime and paranormal mystery podcast that I used to listen to religiously. I'm a year behind on their most recent episodes, so I'm slowly but surely catching up! On my commute to Manhattan, I listened to music while deleting old screenshots from my phone. My music rotation of late has been a mix of SZA, Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, and Justin Bieber.
Evening
Spent the day hanging out with a friend. We grabbed Korean food at Dubu Haus (10/10 recommend, especially on a cold, cloudy day), visited the newly reopened Frick Museum, and walked around Central Park after grabbing coffee from Ralph's.
I listened to music on the PATH back to Jersey while I posted on Instagram Stories. Once home, I was excited to try the Mellow Yellow Jerk sauce we got from the farmer's market the day before, so we put on Scary Movie 2 while I made that with ground turkey, spinach, and yellow rice.
Never watch Scary Movie 2 while eating, because I can't stomach some of the scenes. In classic Millennial form, we watched Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (RHOSLC) Season 2 while eating and unwinding. It's a very spicy season, so we watched more than one episode as we unwind from the day.
While in bed, I read more newsletters. In no particular order: Recomendo (for practical recommendations), See You (for those who want to hone their creativity), Keep Scrolling For (for all the marketing girlies), and 11 am Saturday (for movie lovers).
Tuesday
Reddit: 5 minutes | Instagram: 10 minutes
Morning
Listened to Mini Scroll and Two Hot Takes while making breakfast. Two Hot Takes is a fun podcast that consistently surprises me with how shitty people can be. The podcast is centered around Reddit stories, primarily from the Am I The Asshole subreddit, but has since expanded to cover Relationship Advice, True Off My Chest, and spooky stories in October.
Watched Gilmore Girls while eating breakfast, which will be a common occurrence. It's my TV show of choice while eating.
Afternoon
After job hunting, I cleaned up around the apartment while listening to the same episode of Two Hot Takes. Each episode tends to be over an hour long, which makes for great listening material when cleaning and getting life admin done.
Had to catch the RHOSLC while eating lunch and doing laundry. It makes doing chores much more fun when I can see unnecessary, first-world-problems drama unfold.
Evening
As part of my winter syllabus, I'm reading Maree Conway's Foresight Infused Strategy. The book is available for free on Substack! It's a great introduction to strategic foresight as a practice to face the uncertainties of the future. This book is written in a digestible way, so don't be intimidated by the title if you're interested in futures thinking or strategic foresight in any way!
The night feels so much longer now that Daylight Saving has ended. I was in the mood for a movie, so we watched the latest installment in the Final Destination franchise, Final Destination Bloodlines. I'll be writing more about this as it falls into a prompt for my film challenge!
Listened to Two Hot Takes while getting ready for bed. It was also the night of the mayoral race announcement, so we put it on in bed while I played Tiny Bookshop. Didn't wait for the announcement as we both got tired, so I played my game until I fell asleep. If you enjoy a low-stakes game where you get to recommend real books to townspeople, I highly recommend getting it!
Wednesday
Reddit: 25 minutes | Instagram: 17 minutes
Morning
It's the same old morning routine. I listened to Mini Scroll while preparing breakfast and watched Gilmore Girls during breakfast. Finished Mini Scroll and continued ATWWD as I cleaned up after eating and got ready for my day. While writing the blog post for Thursday, I listened to Lily Allen's new album, West End Girl.
I can't say I was a fan of Lily Allen, as I only knew her popular songs, but this album has converted me into a fan. The first track of this album had my jaw on the floor for her raw honesty in the deterioration of her marriage with David Harbour. Her album is a testament to the power of vulnerability in making art. I may not know what it feels like to be in her marriage, but the universal human experience of heartbreak, grief, and loss is felt throughout. The best way to listen to this album is in sequential order, as it unfolds like a book.
Afternoon
Once I was done with my post, I watched the Masterclass featuring Amy Webb, a futurist and CEO of Future Today Strategy Group, as part of my winter syllabus. After 30 minutes, I took a break to digest the information and played more of Tiny Bookshop. What can I say, I'm hooked on this game.
For most of the afternoon, I listened to music while working on my freelance report. I was quite stressed because I didn't realize how close I was to the deadline, but the deep focus time allowed me to flesh out some key parts of the report.
Felt peckish, so I had a snack break with popcorn and grapes. I watched a couple of Ashley Alexander's vlogs, where she traveled around Japan. I miss real Asian food so much. Listened to Swag 2 as I wrapped up more of the report.
Evening
Wednesday evening means one thing and one thing only: a new episode of Pop the Balloon. I firmly believe that these dating shows are a social experiment that reveals how shallow people can be. We also watched The Shade Room Investigates, which is both informative and entertaining.
I went to bed early because I was so tired. Played more of Tiny Bookshop in bed with Ocean's 8 and then Crazy Rich Asians in the background. Having a movie I've seen before in the background is a comfort mechanism that I developed after living alone for a few years. I'm sure those of you who live alone can relate.
Listened to ATWWD as I brushed my teeth and washed my face. Capped off the night by reading The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei, the book club's read of the month.
Thursday
Reddit: 6 minutes | Instagram: 21 minutes
Morning
Started my morning with some movement, so I listened to Mini Scroll as I did my physical therapy exercises. If you couldn't already tell, I'm a huge fan of this daily podcast. One of my monthly favorites is watching Modern Gurlz pop culture recaps, so I caught up with the October recap. I'm always so surprised by the things that I missed or that happened in the month, because what is time?
Watched Gilmore Girls during breakfast. Take a shot every time I write Gilmore Girls...
Showed my partner the Bugiona trailer because we were deciding what movie to watch in the cinema tonight. Loved the use of Chappell Roan's Good Luck Babe in the trailer, even though I typically avoid trailers. Some of the trailers lately reveal too much of a movie, so I want that element of surprise.
Afternoon
Listened to Two Hot Takes as I did the dishes and proceeded to continue watching the Masterclass from yesterday. Finished my report by noon and sent it off to my editor. Hurrah!
Didn't feel hungry until around 3 pm, so I listened to Two Hot Takes as I made Chapagetti for the first time and watched RHOSLC as I ate. I would give Chapagetti a 5/10. Not my favorite instant noodle.
Evening
After picking up some crochet supplies at Michael's, we watched Bugonia! It was way more stressful than I thought it would be. 4 stars because it kept me engaged from start to finish. I also love a movie that critiques capitalism and questions humanity.
The movie ended 5 minutes before 10 pm because the previews ran for over 25 minutes. Immediately after arriving home, I jumped in the shower because the walk from the cinema to the car had me shivering. We're facing single-digit chill on the East Coast, and it's not even December yet.
Played Tiny Bookshop as I figured out what I wanted to eat for my post-movie snack. Figured I could throw a couple of things in the air fryer and had some grapes for fiber. Watched Gilmore Girls as I indulged in my girl dinner. I'm on the final episodes of Season 3, so I'm seeing how certain relationships are unfolding that I found quite unexpected.
Ended the night with Tiny Bookshop and The Original Daughter.
Friday
Reddit: 56 minutes | Instagram: 21 minutes | TikTok: 70 minutes
Morning
Since it's Friday morning, I decided to change up my morning routine and play Tiny Bookshop in bed. It's a particularly emotional morning for me as I'm feeling homesick and somewhat defeated after being unemployed for so long. I allowed myself to wallow in my feelings.
Gilmore Girls and breakfast cheered me up a little bit.
Afternoon
A very slow start to the day. I listened to Pussy Palace by Lily Allen, one of my favorite tracks from her latest album, as I got myself together. Getting dressed even when I have no place to go can lift my spirits slightly.
Gilmore Girls is getting good, so I continued watching it while having lunch. Spent most of the afternoon writing this and looking back on the week I had. It has been quite enlightening to see my media consumption habits laid out so clearly, because it isn't something I do consciously.
I don't think I realized how often I switch between different media formats depending on what I'm doing. I'm curious if others do the same.
Evening
Still feeling a little shitty, so I decided to move my body to get the endorphins going. It was a mixture of yoga, physical therapy exercises, and pilates. I listened to the Friday episode of Mini Scroll while doing my physical therapy exercises.
Felt better, so I took a nice warm shower and tidied up around the apartment while listening to Two Hot Takes. I decided to treat myself to sushi for dinner, which came not long after I was done showering. Gilmore Girls + sushi = a feel-good dinner. I'm on a Masterclass kick, so I put on a 20-minute video on Stoicism and resilience as I took care of the remaining dishes and played with my cat. She loves chasing her wand toys, so that's what we did for the majority of the time.
To combat my feelings of homesickness, I put on Pendatang as the movie of the night. The movie explores a Malaysia where a Segregation Act is passed and contact between races is illegal. For a movie that was fully crowdfunded and had limited resources, I appreciate it for what it is. I ended the night with TikTok, Tiny Bookshop, and Gilmore Girls.
I'm quite surprised by the amount of time I spend on social media, which is much lower than I expected. When I feel down, that's when I spend a lot of time on various social media apps, spending over 2+ hours across Reddit, Instagram, and TikTok. As mental health professionals have found, when you feel bad, you seek information to validate that feeling, which often leads to doomscrolling.
Other than Friday, the media I consume daily is quite consistent. A low-stakes TV show as I eat, a podcast episode while I do chores, and a video game that brings me joy. Eventually, I would like to stop juggling so many different types of media and be more present in the things I'm doing, such as eating and focusing on my meal instead of watching TV while doing so. I know I'm not alone in this, and it's something that brings great comfort to a lot of people, but I would like to try and see how I feel.
My next challenge is replacing my screentime with reading to see how much I can read. The last time I did this, I finished a good number of books. Stay tuned!
