Reflection:

I’ve always got my phone with me, but I’d never realized how much media I actually consume because of that. Being conscientious and aware of how I encountered media, even just for a day, has made me realize it’s even more pervasive than I’d previously thought.

The most profound thing I learned from this exercises is that media involves you, whether you like it or realize it or not. You can be featured on someone else’s media channel. You can engage with tools that are personalized to suit your needs exactly. You can connect in non-traditional ways. You can be exposed to information that is tailored to your particular preferences. And you can be directed towards new types of information or different media methods. I didn’t necessarily consider scrolling through Instagram or Pinterest while waiting for the bus as active engagement with media, but closer observation reveals that even this is still influential and engaging.

All the various types of media I explored in this exercise seem to have the goal of getting the user to consume more media. Maybe that’s direct, by promoting different things or directing you to new material. Or maybe it’s subtler, by suiting your needs and satisfying your requirements so that you are inclined and motivated to continue to use it. Either way, the media is rather effective in getting people to consume more and more media, without necessarily realizing how engaged they have become.