lowork

24-Hour Media Diary

I tracked an average weekday. I work in the morning and do classes in the afternoon. At the end, I was surprised by how much I consumed and how little I was actually thinking about it.

6:00 a.m.: I wake up and immediately check my phone for text messages and Instagram DMs. My friends and family sent me memes and reels overnight. It is mostly funny stuff, but also a few astrology and spiritual posts my aunt and I like to explore together. I receive posts like these every day, so I scroll without thinking twice.

Looking back, these posts circulate constantly and almost never cite a source. Most astrology content on Instagram is presented confidently like personality traits, predictions, compatibility claims, but there is rarely any explanation of where the information comes from or who wrote it. I do not necessarily think astrology has to be “fact-checked” the way news does, but it is worth noting how easily we accept things when they come from someone we trust.

https://ashtamber.medium.com/what-the-libra-full-moon-means-for-each-rising-sign-d810eb4fb9b1

12:30 p.m.: Lunch break TikTok scroll. I have probably watched 10 videos in two minutes and not one has held my attention for more than 30 seconds. One video that does stop me is a wellness creator claiming that a combination of magnesium, ashwagandha, and something called an “adrenal cocktail” will fix fatigue and anxiety. She sounds confident and uses clinical language, but her bio just says “skin & wellness.”

I looked it up. The Cleveland Clinic notes there is no evidence that adrenal fatigue, which is the condition these drinks claim to treat, even exists as a medical diagnosis. I did not share it, but I could see how easily someone would. After TikTok, I switch to Pinterest for outfit inspo and food recipes and spend the rest of my lunch there.

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-to-know-about-adrenal-cocktails

2:30 p.m.: Workday is over. I head to my car, plug in my phone, and put on Spotify (my liked songs on shuffle for the drive home).

3:00 p.m.: Home from work. I take a quick break before starting homework and check Instagram to see if my cousin or aunt sent anything throughout the day. My aunt sent a funny reel and my cousin posted a screenshotted tweet. Nothing that catches my attention enough to look into further.

5:00 p.m.: Homework break to make dinner. Spotify on while I cook, then I put on She’s the Man to watch while I eat. A comfort movie I’ve seen a hundred times. No fact-checking necessary.

8:00 p.m.: Wrapping up the last of my readings for homework. Cleaning my apartment with more Spotify in the background.

9:00 p.m.: Settle into bed and start Snowfall on Hulu. Scripted drama so nothing to verify. Asleep by 10.

I felt I was a pretty aware media consumer before starting this assignment. As I took notes, this was proven otherwise. It was easy for me to fact check the astrology posts sent from my aunt because it is something I study and enjoy learning about. The memes and reels were a bit easier to doubt. I believe what makes it difficult to trust the content is the fact it comes from strangers. I also believe this is why it is so easy to just spread all throughout social media, all throughout the day.