Mulling over media

Why we should consume less media and spend more time thinking about what it can teach us

by Richie Jiang opinions staff

Picture this. You’re sitting in an empty room with only a single painting. As the hours pass, you take in the details of the piece, scrutinizing it over and over. Was it painted with care? Or was it hastily made? Why did the artist choose to include this part? Or why this color? Maybe through your examination and contemplation you gain a new perspective on the artist’s era, or life as a whole.

Now consider the same piece, this time in an art museum, where you have the freedom to move around. Do you even bother to look twice?

This nonchalance in regards to the media and content we consume is a simple result of its abundance. For example, when it comes to TV, there are countless options: Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ or whatever other platform you prefer. Besides TV, there's music, books, online videos, podcasts and social media. However, how much of the content that you consume do you really remember? Of that content, how much would you say really impacted your own life with a meaningful lesson or outcome?

In total, the average fan will watch about 3,639 films and 31,507 episodes of TV in their lifetime. That’s a lot of times to rewatch "The Office."

Instead, consider narrowing your selection of media to what really engages you. And then, consider why you particularly like these pieces of media. Maybe it’s something intellectually stimulating, or viscerally powerful or maybe it's just really funny. Whatever the reason might be, reflecting on why you like these pieces can lead to unexpected insights. For example, your favorite characters might show you what it means to be good, or a beautiful scene might instill a sense of appreciation for the scenery in your own life. It might seem hard to do, but this method of more mindful consumption can actually be quite simple. If you’re a big movie fan, try cutting down the amount of movies you watch in a month by half, and take the extra time to reflect more on the lessons you can take away. If you're more of a TV person, try avoiding binging, and instead reflect on each episode and the intent behind it. In addition, this method of mindful consumption also allows for us to break down the origins behind our preferences and reactions. By consciously reflecting on your instinctive reactions, you can find out what you most prefer and why. For example, I didn't realize that my love of campy kung-fu movies stemmed from more than just wanting to see flashy fights, but a genuine desire to explore my own culture until after a rewatch of Rise of the Legend, where I focused on the attention and detail that went into the setpieces. Furthermore, reflection on why you like or dislike certain things can even lead to insight on implicit biases you might hold. Personally, I had always disliked country music until recently. However, when trying to find the reason why, I discovered that it was simply a bias I had inherited from popular culture growing up. This understanding allowed me to revisit country music with an open outlook. While I still might not be the greatest fan, I've both learned more about keeping

Minutes of media

In their life, the average person will watch...

an open mind and added a few songs to my playlist.

Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll become a superfan, but the process itself can lead to being able to recognize and tackle any subconscious biases you hold, however small. You'll also discover more about your tastes, such as what you enjoy the most and whether you really do detest country music.

3,639 3,639 movies books

31,507 31,507 tv episodes read 77 00 00 and listen to 11..33 million million songs

Sources: " Survey: The average person will watch more than 78,000 hours of TV" by John Anderer, studyfinds.org, "How Many Books Will You Read Before You Die?" by Emily Temple, lithub.com, "30+ Official Listening to Music Statistics (2022)" by Matija Ferjan, headphonesaddict.com

Scan here for ways to cut down screen time and reflect.

And if you don’t feel like a movie or TV show, then how about a book? Taking the time to thoroughly digest the meanings of a story can again lead to new insights. And if not a movie or book, how about music, paintings or any other form of art?

True, not every piece needs to be scrutinized for any deeper meanings and takeaways for your own life. In fact, focusing too much could stifle any natural curiosity to dive deeper into pieces. However, using even a fraction of the minutes you spend on media to focus on the lessons you can learn from them can be an easy process. Indeed, this practice of thoughtful reflection is something that can also be applied to other aspects of our lives. Taking the time to reflect almost always holds some benefit. Overall, this approach of mindful consumption is both easy to follow and beneficial, as it can broaden one's perspectives and increase their enjoyment of their existing interests.

So, next time you're about to put on another show you'll only half pay attention to or page through a book you don't really care about, try choosing something you're really drawn to instead. Or if it's required, try keeping an open mind. Who knows what you'll learn? P

Military

$25,707 average expenditure of an in-state student attending a public 4-year institution

Work Force

$37,787 average federal student loan debt

In middle school, two words followed us around, haunted us and tracked our every movement. High school. Everything we did in those three critical and transformative years was for the daunting four years that came next. Preparation was everything. And when high school finally came around, the nervous anticipation didn’t go away, but rather transformed from the words “high school” into the foreboding word: “college.”

The culture of elitism at Ladue forces us to always look at what’s next, to plan our future down to a tee and jump from one opportunity to the next. So when the conversation surrounding college reaches its peak at the start of senior year, it’s unsurprising to hear the names of multiple Ivy Leagues and prestigious universities thrown around. On top of my own personal expectations for myself, now there’s a quieter, yet undeniable pressure from my class to prove my worth with a college admission letter.

However, the path looking forward isn’t as easy to identify as The Wizard of Oz’s yellow brick road, but instead it’s a path one must forge themselves. As many of us think about what our lives will look like after we finish our high school careers, or perhaps you’re already nearing the end of your journey, it’s essential we don’t have a one-track mind. Higher education isn’t the end all be all. Majors are subject to change. Prestige means little to nothing in the grand scheme of things.

America has a poor reputation when it comes to higher education. There are limited options for trade schools, high costs for four-year colleges and a whole lot of student debt even after that. It’s so normalized to have a narrow mindset about options after high school that we often ignore the consequences of choosing a path that might not be right for us.

TRADE SCHOOL

Sources: EducationData, The University of Tulsa, Gap Year Association

80% of students in college end up theirchanging major at least once

4000-6000 students on average take a gap year academiceach year