I have always believed myself to be a ‘cultured’ individual, but I realized I was prioritizing quantity over quality.
Interested in different music, up to date with new film and series releases, and always reading a different book, I prided myself on my ability to stay in the know. Yet, I started to feel like I was spending every waking moment consuming media in different modes.
Don’t get me wrong, one of my favourite feelings is walking to class while listening to a song that has the exact BPM to match my pace. But over one of these walks, I found myself wondering when I last gave myself time to just think, to just be.
I feel like constantly being tethered to a screen, ingesting media from sunrise till sunset, has become a norm for our generation. I couldn’t recall many moments when I was immersed in my own thoughts without any distractions.
Have I become Mildred Montag from Fahrenheit 451? Obsessed with blocking out all thoughts with a constant surplus of media and noise that entertained me from the moment I opened my eyes till the moment my head hit the pillow?
I decided I cannot live my life this way any longer.
Not only does this hurt me, but it also erodes the quality of the media I’m absorbing.
It has been an unbelievably difficult thing to do, relearning how to be comfortable in my own head, especially after being accustomed to filtering out what made me uncomfortable, sad, or upset.
I wanted more for myself. To feel comfortable inside of my own brain without using media consumption as a sieve to filter out less desirable thoughts with pleasantly distracting melodies.
For me, music was the biggest block for this.
Phones and headphones can fit into your pocket, making music readily available all the time. It is easy to see how people, like me, got used to mindlessly shoving in AirPods before any walk to friend’s houses or between classes. Because of this, music has shifted from an activity that was culturally public, to one that is private.
Historically, music has been played in packed rooms, on classical instruments, record players, at orchestras, and on the radio. An activity to be enjoyed among others. With music apps on phones and earbuds, listening to music has become an isolating activity as opposed to one which sparks conversation and brings people together.
As I work towards more intentional media consumption, I have been practicing taking out earbuds while walking, cooking, or studying, and letting my brain focus on the task in front of me more thoroughly. Purposefully, I have turned my music consumption into a designated activity. Whether I am listening to a new album with friends or lounging in my room with a playlist on, listening to music and truly connecting with it by using my full attention has allowed me to find more great songs I love and to actually resonate with the pieces I’m listening to.
This is not to say that music should not be put on in the background while other tasks are being completed. I just think music deserves to be appreciated as more than a filler for your own thoughts. By treating listening to music as a more public activity as opposed to a private one, I have found myself engaging with my interests in a fuller, more attentive manner.
In this way, I have found that watching a film or listening to a song while working or scrolling on my phone not only cheats myself of appreciating what is in front of me, but it also cheats the teams of people who work so hard to produce art, hoping people will understand and love their work.
In an age where there is more pushback against creative arts and humanities, it is imperative that we give our full attention to the wonderfully human act that is to create. There is so much encouragement for the integration of AI into writing, music, and fine arts production that it is integral for us as appreciators of these pursuits to support the people behind the work with our full attention.
As a photographer and English Literature major, I often find myself feeling quite hypocritical when it comes to my past relationship with media consumption. I often preach the importance of the arts, how vital they are to the human experience, but how can my words mean anything if I’m not actually treating what I’m watching like it matters?
After another night of “watching” Dancing with the Stars with my housemates while we are all separately scrolling on our phones, I realized how pointless it was that the show was even on. We might as well have just turned off the TV.
If we cannot spend 85 minutes away from our phones to watch a movie, how can we expect the film industry to keep hiring human hands to fully produce cinema? There would be no point, especially because automative technology can streamline the process so intensely at such a low price point.
In my pursuit of intentional media consumption, I have learned the benefits of being alone with my thoughts and to better appreciate taking things one at a time. I’ve found myself admiring the intelligence and creativity that goes into producing media for the world to enjoy.
In the end, I’ve built a stronger understanding of myself and a deeper appreciation for the art I am presented with.
Tags
Lifestyle, Music, social media use, Student life
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