What's your media diet?

Jul 27

eclecticism, food, media No Comments

I came across that question in the current issue of Monocle – and it got me pondering. While we’re very conscious of what we put in our bodies, what about the stuff we upload into our minds? Sure, we count calories but how many of us actually measure the content?

Wired recently posted a neat illustration that divides one’s media intake by type and by time spent. While this methodology recalls the food pyramid we’re taught at a young age, it does beg the question: is this breakdown actually healthy? While we can debate about whether 3.5 hours of entertainment is optimal, I think we need to examine the types of media we consume. To use the food analogy, it’s not only the number of servings of each food group that matters, but also where you’re getting your vitamins, carbs and proteins.

Before knowing how much media to consume, we need to determine what makes a mind healthy. Being able to recall memorized facts doesn’t make you smarter; it’s the contextual application of that information that matters. Accepting everything as truth is also dangerous; an inquisitive mind knows no boundaries and is open to all possibilities. Regardless of the medium, all content is flavoured with bias, slant and spin. Waiter, waiter, what’s this opinion doing in my media soup?

I think that the various media consumption diets you can find online miss the point: it’s not where you get your media, it’s the content that counts. What’s the breakdown between news and opinion from left-wing or right-wing sources? Are you entertained by only Hollywood blockbusters, or do you also enjoy indies, documentaries, and foreign flicks? Are the books you hope read all on a single topic, or are there fiction of all genres, philosophical treatises and gripping biographies?

As you have (hopefully) deciphered by now, I’m of the belief that it’s better for your media diet to be filled with variety. A quick look at my library, iPod, feedreader and delicious account and you could say that mine is eclectic. I would get bored getting fed the same information, day in and day out.

Take a look at your media diet, and if you find things are stale, try something new. A little bit of experimentation will make a world of difference.