In todays ever changing tech world of algorithms and AI, it is no surprise that media is rooted at the center of our lives. From our morning news, to the endless internet content available, we are ensured that media will be at the center of our day. With this reality, we must ask ourselves, what am I really looking at? Is this content or news really reliable? It’s an honest question we should all be asking ourselves and for this reason I decided to take a hard look at my media consumption for one whole day to see exactly what I am consuming.
I began my investigation into just what media I am looking at on a daily bases by tracking what I viewed, read, or listened to on Friday January 17, 2020. I had an off day from work and plenty of time to consume content. I started off by listening to a podcast. I will often do this while cooking breakfast and throughout my morning routine. I listened to “College Hoops Overtime” by Greg Peterson. Greg gives a recap on the previous days games and breaks down the matchups of the current day with a Las Vegas betting perspective. This podcast can last up to several hours so it is something that I will often stop and come back to.
Later in the morning I found myself on everyone’s second favorite social media platform (after myspace), Facebook. After scrolling through posts of everyone’s morning workout, what they were eating, or the endless collage of family photos, I stumbled on an article that a friend shared headlined Man Pulls Knife and Rope on Real Estate Agent at Open House. She Draws Gun. This article came from tribunist.com. Along side this article, I did my typical scrolling to see if anyone was up to anything worthwhile. I also scrolled Instagram and checked some Tweets. Another uneventful, perhaps useless social media session in the books.
In the afternoon I found some more time to consume and decided on YouTube. I jumped into a live stream of Betting with The Bag a daily live show where the entire sports slate is broken down with a Vegas betting perspective. I enjoy this platform as the live chat provides active participation from the audience. With our games solidified, it was time for some meal prep and of course the local tv news. My evening consisted of homework followed by watching some Netflix before going to bed.
Looking back I had a pretty typical of media consumption. A daily podcast, live stream, social media with a news article, some local news, and Netflix for leisure. When it comes to the sports betting content, there is a grey area on the credibility of the content. Greg Peterson’s content as far as the teams stats, injury reports, travel spots etc. are all very accurate. The grey area comes in that he is giving a pick on the outcome of a future event which is simply his opinion. The Betting with The Bag live stream shares the same dilemma. Therefore, it is important as a consumer to take the data and facts for what they are and formulate your own opinion in regards to the outcome of the games. If your opinion lines up with that of the host well you just might be on to something. The Facebook article that I read was indeed real news; however, we must look at why it was even written. The tribunist is a right wing publication so it was no surprise that the content had plenty of pro gun advocacy in it. The evening news is usually on in the background while cooking dinner and I typically just view that as getting my “real news” for the day as I know they are professional credible journalist who are striving and checking for accuracy before publication or production. With this hard look at one days worth of media consumption, I solidified the importance of critically evaluating the media we consume.
Francisco Healy
