Settling back in at home after my trip, I decided to perform a second evaluation of the media I consume in a day. This time I was instructed to consider the information/data I share through my interactions; an intriguing perspective to keep in mind as I strengthen my media literacy.

7:00 AM – After waking to my usual ringtone, I scroll through my notifications and find a video title that intrigues me, “He Made Trump CRASH Out” by The Young Turks (TYT). As the video began, I realized I had provided a positive response to the algorithm’s suggestion just by clicking the notification.

9:15 AM – Scrolling through Shorts on YouTube I see a video from one of my favorite competitive eaters, Reina. A text overlay displays a call to action to guess how long it would take her to finish eating a large burrito; I commented, bolstering the algorithm with barely a second thought!

11:30 AM – My daily Duolingo lesson teaches my algorithm I value education (apps share data after all) so I was barely surprised when a TedX video finds its way to my recommendations. The concept of tracking void space over time to measure expansion was an interesting connecting point of my many interest (Space, Photography, Dark Matter), enough so that I was compelled to leave a comment. This engagement is like a reward to the algorithm essentially guaranteeing I’d receive more space talks in the future!

1:45 PM – Spent some time with loved ones watching ‘LA Hair‘ although this didn’t have a direct influence on my algorithm, I am sure that today’s smartphones would gather that I’ve been exposed to this media via location, audio feedback, or through my social circle. Though I haven’t seen any advertisements yet, I would be more surprised if it didn’t appear in my algorithm in the coming week.

5:30 PM – Despite my best efforts, I once again opened Farmland in hopes of getting that last .01 percent to get a few free items. The mix of frustration and desire is hard to describe so I won’t…

Reflecting on my day, I could see some patterns I’d like to change (YouTube Consumption, Temu) and others I feel keep me productive (Duolingo, Political Awareness Intake). I can occasionally consume/produce without critical thought which can be problematic in the long term. Generally speaking, I have unintentionally created an algorithm that fosters education, political discourse, humor, and growth.

“That’ll Do Pig“