Creating a consumption log was a very interesting way to draw attention to how much media infiltrates our daily lives. The first page of my log, which I kept from 5:15 A.M. to 9:00 P.M. on Feb. 13th, 2009, is shown on the left. Overall, there was a lot of media I hadn't noticed before, media I hadn't felt influenced by previously, and some unique experiences associated with my daily commute from Fruitland, N.M. to Durango, C.O and back.
Because of this assignment, I noticed several examples of media that I don't really acknowledge everyday. For example, there is a lot of advertising in my bathroom and kitchen. In the bathroom, every bottle of shampoo, conditioner, spray, lotion, and soap are designed to reflect the brand: Dove soap has the dove symbol carved into the bar and Aussie shampoo and conditioner are in bright purple bottles with matching logos. In the kitchen, the same logos and product designs are apparent. The Starbucks logo smiles at me from the freezer. A very healthy Golden Retriever smiles at me from the bright yellow IAMS bag. I realized my house is filled with media, even when my TV is off.
I was also surprised by the amount of media I see and hear every day during my commute. On the way to Durango, I concentrated on the most dominant media inside my vehicle: the radio. I listen to National Public Radio (NPR) every morning from about 6:00 A.M. to 7:15 A.M. One of my favorite spots on NPR, StoryCorps, is only broadcast on Friday morning's at 6:30; StoryCorps' mission is to "honor and celebrate one another’s lives through listening. Since 2003, over 35,000 everyday people have shared life stories" (http://www.storycorps.net). The segment from Friday featured 99 year-old Bill Schifrin who's been selling wedding rings in N.Y.C. since 1947. I added the RSS Feed, so feel free to listen to Mr. Schifrin's segment; however, last Friday's segment, "StoryCorps 101: A Difference of Mind," is better. It's a conversation between a 10-year-old, Ida, with dyslexia and her mom; they discuss the challenges they both overcame in order for Ida to become a successful reader.
Because of this assignment, I noticed several examples of media that I don't really acknowledge everyday. For example, there is a lot of advertising in my bathroom and kitchen. In the bathroom, every bottle of shampoo, conditioner, spray, lotion, and soap are designed to reflect the brand: Dove soap has the dove symbol carved into the bar and Aussie shampoo and conditioner are in bright purple bottles with matching logos. In the kitchen, the same logos and product designs are apparent. The Starbucks logo smiles at me from the freezer. A very healthy Golden Retriever smiles at me from the bright yellow IAMS bag. I realized my house is filled with media, even when my TV is off.
I was also surprised by the amount of media I see and hear every day during my commute. On the way to Durango, I concentrated on the most dominant media inside my vehicle: the radio. I listen to National Public Radio (NPR) every morning from about 6:00 A.M. to 7:15 A.M. One of my favorite spots on NPR, StoryCorps, is only broadcast on Friday morning's at 6:30; StoryCorps' mission is to "honor and celebrate one another’s lives through listening. Since 2003, over 35,000 everyday people have shared life stories" (http://www.storycorps.net). The segment from Friday featured 99 year-old Bill Schifrin who's been selling wedding rings in N.Y.C. since 1947. I added the RSS Feed, so feel free to listen to Mr. Schifrin's segment; however, last Friday's segment, "StoryCorps 101: A Difference of Mind," is better. It's a conversation between a 10-year-old, Ida, with dyslexia and her mom; they discuss the challenges they both overcame in order for Ida to become a successful reader.
During the drive home, I concentrated on the media outside my vehicle. There was so much I recognized and looked at everyday, but never as a type of media that may be persuasive, or have other ulterior motives. I was slightly overwhelmed when I realized how much media I encounter, even when my radio is silent. The following is only a portion of what I recorded after my drive:
- ads for restaurants: signs, rented billboards, window artwork
- food transport: McDonald's trucks with giant Big Macs on the side, Albertsons, Doritos
- ads/logos on vehicles: oil field companies, service repairs
- FedEx (Can you see the arrow?) and other delivery services
- road signs, and people holding road signs
- flags
- church signs: crosses, worship times listed, warning messages to sinners
- stores, car dealers, help wanted signs, 30% off, "Don't Do Meth"
There were so many different messages coming at me! I never stopped to consider how much media is located on roadways, and it is all non-verbal forms of communication.
Overall, because of my time in the car everyday, my experiences are fairly unique. Like I listen to more radio than TV. My only source of news was NPR until I checked my email about 8:30 P.M. At that time I navigated to CNN.com to read about the Continental Airlines flight that crashed in New York. I did not watch any broadcast TV, but I did watch KungFu Panda with my daughter. I guess that still leaves me labeled as abnormal- although I prefer unique.
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