J's Musings

I have never really given thought to what media I consume until recently. When while pondering I realized, what I listen to and watch makes a large difference in how I think, act and work.

I have started thinking that I need to “watch” what kind of data I allow my self to be fed. I understand in today’s time; how difficult it feels to choose. Because what we are served is easier to take, than go and find something ourselves.

Due to this, those out there feed us what they want us to internalize and in simpler words, we end up “brainwashed”.

As much as I want to work on what I will consume. I think bringing into notice what I already surround myself with is a very large step towards that.

Today, I’m going to discuss media I have recently consumed and how it has affected me in this short period of time.

Starting with the one I’m most guilty about admitting to; Doom Scrolls. The habit of watching reels on Instagram without conscious thought or will to do so. My screentime is an average of 2-3 hours per day. Most of which ends up being Instagram or WhatsApp. I don’t particularly like going through hundreds of mini videos a day. But, after a point it becomes a way to disassociate, and relax without active effort.

I cannot recall all the reels I may have watched. Though ill list out the topics. I watched covers of popular and not so popular songs. Something that dominated my FYP for 2 days. I loved the mashup cover of ‘Sailor Song by Gigi Perez’. I also realized that Vienna by Billy Joel is a quite popular song. Another topic Instagram is frantic about, is America. The new laws and the condition of women and immigrants under it. I think it has definitely influenced my way of looking at America and Americans in today’s time. I will not go into detail about how though. Lastly, I have been addicted to these animal videos with funny background dubbings. Absolute nonsense that boosts my happiness in an instant. But once I’m done, I go into this extremely bored state, which can be very upsetting.

I remember quitting YouTube for a while. I didn’t watch any videos or shorts. I only started watching it again this year. In the past month of March, I watched multiple ‘what’s in my bag’ videos. I particularly love Vogue’s collection of them. One I particularly like outside of Vogue, is by Bea, I think.

One creator I’m obsessed with is Haley Pham and the book girlies [Destiny Sidwell, Sara Carolli]. I’ve been hooked by their 24-hour readathons. And even those by Katie is Reading. These videos are a large help when I don’t want to read but want to think about books. If that makes sense?

I have also watched so many life reset and declutter videos to motivate my own cleaning venture. A successful attempt I believe. Its also oddly calming and grounding to watch other people get their life together. Makes me believe I can do that too, because from a perspective, it seems like a very small thing.

If anyone here watches vlogs, I believe you can relate to exactly how addictive they are. From student vlogs to people working my dream job/s, I have watched everything. I binged ‘somethingscarllets’ videos so much, I finished her entire feed T_T.

Other than that, I watch K-pop videos, like SKZ code or interviews. I’m also a big fan of all vogue content, just delightful.

Next, Spotify. I’m a big fan of music and podcasts. Last month, I listened to 2,452 minutes of music and shows. Is it healthy? Maybe not. Is it an amazing way to escape into my mind? Definitely. I’m currently listening to stray kids, Gracie Abrams, Lana Del Ray, Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish. According to Spotify, I listened to 234 artists in March. So that’s something.

This podcast I’m currently hooked onto is ‘Who did what now?’ with Katie Charlwood. She is hilarious and has amazing facts, you can listen to her on Spotify and she makes reels on Instagram. Her podcast has been such a fun way to sink my teeth into history. Particularly history that doesn’t dive into just dates, but true stories. I may have started looking at certain figures of history differently after her episodes. Though, seeing history as it was is very important to be able to build my own opinions about events in general.

I want to try audio books, but I haven’t tried any yet.

Speaking of books, last month I read The Reappearance of Rachel Price, which was a YA thriller. I loved it and I definitely think Holly Jackson’s books comment on social issues very well. If you read it, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Next, I started ‘Indira’ by Katherine Frank. A biography of the life of the iconic Indira Nehru Gandhi. I haven’t read a lot yet, still in the first 100 pages. But the way Indira’s life is captured from before her birth, turn her into a real person. From this political figure we’ve always been introduced to. I don’t want to say anything this early, but I am absolutely loving this book. It is very different from what I usually read. The book is eye opening and charismatic in all the right ways to be honest.

Finally, my least most used app, Pinterest. Now, here I don’t exactly listen or watch anything. I just use it as a fun app to look at pretty pictures, search for book recommendations and sometimes watch aesthetic videos. I’m not going to lie, I love scrolling through memes too, but I don’t do it as often as I would have thought. Does Pinterest have an impact on my life? Not literally, no. But I do feel really happy after a quick walk down quotes and fun videos.

Now, I’ve opened all my cards; everything I watched or listened to or read in the past month, is here. Like I said, all of it affects me in various ways. From how I view history, to how I feel about our present world and even the way I envision my future, is shaped by what I am told. I have discussed how above, briefly, but I might go into more detail. Just not today.

Today, we just look at what we have consumed. A way to try and put a barrier between our life here and online.

Hoping you keep control of your mind to yourself,

Janhavi.