Media Fast Reflections

I’ve finished my Media Fast, and have caught up on email, blogs, etc. After reflecting on the experience, I’ve come to several conclusions:

• I consume a lot of media. DVDs, blog posts, music, movies. Hours per day. Even without a TV.
• There’s a cultural expectation that everyone consumes a lot of media. People are genuinely surprised when I mention that I haven’t watched certain recent movies. Modern Americans naturally hoover up large quantities of media. It’s not just normal; it’s expected.
• This takes time from other things. I could be drawing, or writing, or otherwise producing something. Or I could be recharging in other ways: talking with a friend, going to a park, or browsing a local landmark. Instead, I pop in a DVD or refresh blogs. ‘Cause there’s always something else to watch or read.
• That said, I have a lot of media that I’ve committed to consuming, from books to anime to blogs. I call this “Media Debt.” What to do with all that?

My plan:

I’m planning to spend Wednesday on my big to-read pile. There’s just so much there, and I want to finish a bunch of it.

I’m also planning to get through one anime disc per weekday, and several discs over the weekend. I want to be free of my media debt, so that when a new book or anime series or DVD appears, I can get to it. Boom. Get it done.

Other than that, I’m going to consciously restrict the amount of time I spend on media. No more casual relaxation with media, at least not for a while.