Mindless consumption: reshaping my relationship with media
Cassius Vuong / V Mag at UVA
I think my brain is turning into an ‘Am I the Asshole’ TikTok with Subway Surfers playing in the background. My daily routine feels dominated by digital content consumption, reminiscent of a video designed to grab the attention of the uncapturable. TikTok in the morning. A YouTube video during lunch. Instagram after finishing an assignment. A Netflix binge to put me to sleep. My day is inundated with media, but none of it feels intentional. It is a dissociative habit.
As a 21-year-old introduced to smart phones in middle school, media consumption has been a part of my daily routine for the past ten years. However, digital content does not spark the same sense of creativity, comfort or wonder for me anymore. The fragmented nature of today’s media landscape offers something for everyone, giving users an endless stream of personalized entertainment. Consequently, general media consumption feels mandatory, morphing into an unintentional bad habit. At the beginning of 2024, I reevaluated my habitual overconsumption in an effort to become more intentional with my digital use. In the process, I became more aware of my relationship with media and its effects on my overall wellbeing.
Revising any habit is a difficult undertaking. My goal wasn’t to stop media consumption entirely, but to become more deliberate in my decision to spend time online. In the first week of January, I took inventory of my weekly media intake. Each time I opened TikTok, watched a television show, read a news article, etcetera, I wrote down a one-word description of my mood. This exercise allowed me to highlight my consumption trends throughout the day and gain clarity on my intent for each interaction.
Forcing myself to become mindful of my mindless scrolling was as uncomfortable as it was eye opening. At the end of the week, I was left with a complete overview of how I spent my time online. Looking through the list, I began to see patterns in my mood. Sleepiness or boredom was usually paired with TikTok or a late-night binge-watching session. Anxiety or restlessness came with rewatching YouTube videos or listening to a podcast I’ve already heard. I realized these practices were Band-Aids for negative emotions, but they rarely made a positive impact on my mood. However, many positive sentiments emerged as well. A soft serenity accompanied Boygenius listening sessions, and a curious discomfort emerged after watching “Beau Is Afraid” (2023). My goal became a little clearer — I needed to find a way to bolster these inspirational feelings while cutting back on practices motivated by distraction.
While uncomfortable to confront, it was reassuring to know I’m one part of a technologically systemic whole. The nature of today’s society practically begs for an unhealthy overconsumption of media, especially for Generation Z. In 2022, Pew Research Center found 95 percent of adolescents have some form of social media, and roughly a third of them consider their usage constant. According to their annual reports, these numbers have been on the rise since 2012.
Over the course of Generation Z’s lifetime, the amount of digital content available to users has increased tenfold. Now, it's at a breaking point. Adolescent psychologist Don Grant describes today’s environment as a “media saturation overload”. He emphasizes the tendency for overconsumption to be accompanied with anxiety and depression, especially in teenagers and young adults. The endless nature of content offers less room to mentally breathe after taking in information. Consequently, digital entertainment transitions from an avenue for facilitating new ideas into a mindless distraction.
Aiming to cut out excess time spent online, I pinpointed specific elements of my routine when the intention behind content consumption was unclear. Then, I brainstormed a list of potential replacement activities — taking walks without headphones, replacing bedtime TikTok scrolling with quiet activities like reading or building Legos and going outside for a study break rather than checking Instagram. When I did pick up my phone throughout the day, I checked in with myself, setting a timer and an intention. If my goal was unclear, I set it down.
In the beginning, this process felt impossible. Quiet moments typically filled with podcast episodes or YouTube videos were incredibly uncomfortable. However, I found myself using media consumption as a fallback less over the course of the past month.
Falling asleep became easier. Conversations with friends and classmates got longer. Overall, I found there to be more time in my day to get things done and truly relax my brain.
My current routine isn't perfectly rigid. I still have moments when I enjoy the occasional mindless scroll. However, I have a better understanding of my relationship with daily media consumption, and I am more likely to redirect to an offscreen activity when the urge to look at my phone arises.
Media consumption is not inherently bad, but everything has a threshold. In a “media saturated environment”, it is advantageous to examine the intentions behind digital habits.