conscious consumption

and some of my favorite things

Helloooooooo,

So in my ongoing strike against TikTok (passive media consumption) I decided to write down all the media I engaged with last week (conscious media consumption). This was a decent exercise. It didn’t take much effort and made me acutely aware of what I was spending my time reading/watching/listening to. I watched two movies… I hadn’t sat down alone and watched a full movie in a veryyyy long time and it was great. I also actually remember the content I consumed which was refreshing to say the least. Before I share the list I need to preface, the biggest issue with this list is the fact that I’m sharing it. I knew that you all/ whoever would be reading this and I definitely leaned a bit higher brow than I normally do. Nothing drastic, but there are not nearly as many asmr baking videos as there could’ve been.

So yes… that’s the list… some reflections….

I think I can do better. I’m really not a YouTube girl, this was just the easiest way to wean my little mouse brain off TikTok. I think I can read more articles, maybe even a book. That could be nice. Also more movies! She’s the Man and Fresh were fun. The highlights of the list… lauren hill’s wisdom… listening to a sickening amount of charli xcx and paramore… bella hadid fake accent clip bc then Kirsten and I did her little fake french voice for hours afterwards… contrapoints 2 hour long envy video essay (learning how to process my fomo)… 200 day vegetable garden journey. That vegetable garden video, let me tell you, that was lushhhhh. So calm and beautiful and well-edited. Made me look into WWOOFing… updates on that to come possibly. Also Binchtopia pod. I’m not good at keeping up with podcasts but anytime I listen to that one I never regret it.

Interesting that generally the longer content was more fulfilling… hmmmmmm.

I’ll probably keep media logging,,, it’s fun. I won’t keep sharing though… at least for now… I don’t want to be shaping my media consumption based on what I think people might think, yk? Not everything I consume needs to be apart of my public identity. That’s the issue with every logging app having a social media component… consuming for the sake of how it will be perceived… for the image… not cute or ideal. I mean of course it’s okay to make your taste part of your identity. I just have an issue with taste being equivalent to identity…. with every bit of media I consume needing to fit under the aesthetic of my public persona.

Howeverrrrr, certain pieces of media are welcome to be apart of my identity. The books/movies/artists that eat my heart. And as my closing… I will share a list of these things… some of my favorite media… for those that have not yet had the privilege of hearing me rant and ramble ab this stuff.

Movies:

• Goodwill Hunting, number one forever till I’m dead, I am who I am bc of

• The Matrix, earth pirate in neutral layers w leather-clad digital alter ego, most epic concept ever

• Holes, a masterpiece in storytelling, ahead of its time

• The Shawshank Redemption, always watch w Dad, reference all ze time

• Little Women (2019), I’m so lonely monologue… knife

• Pippi Longstocking, little jillz favorite

• cmbyn… it’s stunning, call me basic and then stfu idc

• Any 90’s horror comedy, this genre is perfecto, cuckoo fun time, Beetlejuice, Little Shop, Rocky Horror etc.

• Fantastic Fungi, perfect wildly interesting documentary, 10/10 recommend for all

Music:

• Elliott Smith, the list could end here

• A Beginner’s Mind, album w Sufjan and Angelo De Augustine… say less

• music that would be in a late 90’s/early 00’s teen movie… iris by goo goo dolls vibes… letters to cleo vibes…

• some Pinegrove, some Wilco, some Slaughter Beach Dog… pandemic music, reminds me of my friends

• Alex G, forever W

• Kanye, forever L but I can’t help it

Books:

• anything by Virginia Woolf

• I’ll Tell You in Person by Chloe Caldwell and other big sister memoirs

• Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino and other essay collections

• The Outsiders, 1984, and other not boring classics

• Our Town by Thornton Wilder, my favorite play

• magical realism a la Murakami and Gabriel García Márquez

Other Media:

• This American Life (podcast) the best stories, reliable, learn so much

• Search Party (tv) millennial dark comedy but so good, 10/10 (except the last season flopped)

• The Twilight Zone, just classique! need I say more!

• A Christmas Story, but only on Christmas, all day, w my family

• video essays about anything, clearly

I think that’s all for now. Feeling less numb than I did on Monday, so that’s good… going to femme night at the club tonight and I’m scared my entire Hinge match queue will be there… including nightmare mullet girl… will keep you posted.

XX Jill