Constantly Consuming Content -Kait Devir
As a digital creator and freelance photographer, when I am not creating content, I am consuming content. I knew my consumption log would be packed even on one of my off days as a division one lacrosse player. Let’s break it down:
Reflecting on my blog has made me realize that my relationship with the media resembles a hamster on a wheel in a cage. Some might think this analogy is a trap or a monotonous, unfulfilling activity. However, I am continuously scrolling through media, observing, learning, and imitating what I see through the screen between my fingers.
Reflecting on my blog has made me realize that my relationship with the media resembles a hamster on a wheel in a cage. Some might think this analogy is a trap or a monotonous, unfulfilling activity. However, I am continuously scrolling through media, observing, learning, and imitating what I see through the screen between my fingers.
Being a student-athlete is all about time management and balance. I start my morning routine using apps on my smartphone like alarm, Whoop, Instagram, and Tiktok. This honestly sets my day up for success. Using Whoop, I can track my daily strain, sleep, recovery, and other vital information to perform at my maximum abilities daily. Based on my sleep data, I plan my workouts and routine for the day! This is a form of media because my data is put into a group of teammates and friends where we can chat, compare, and share our analytics. For advice and guidance, I can also connect with Whoop coaches for about $20 a month. Compared to other platforms that teens pay monthly for, like Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, and Apple Music, Whoop advances my fitness goals and shares vital information to increase my recovery.
Getting to my point: my recovery that morning was below average, and my legs were incredibly sore from a hard week of training. I scrolled through Instagram to connect with my recent friend Cory Camp. Cory is a former college athlete living in California to launch his company and form a fitness community. Someone I would not have met if it wasn’t for Instagram and the ability to communicate virtually with others. I transferred to USC last January and would be quite clueless without the ability to network in this new city. Within minutes, I got in my car, plugged in directions, and headed to an address Cory gave me. All possible because of my social media consumption.
During my drive, I consumed many different media types, from rap to country to acoustic throwbacks. As I journeyed to my destination, I passed billboards that ran parallel to the highway. The sun beamed down onto my truck, and I felt a sense of freedom as I cruised down 110 towards Huntington Beach. It reminded me of a Tiktok I watched the night before, “Top smoothie shops and cafes in Venice.” I decided to add a stop on my way home after my appointment! My adventures in trying new places, foods, and meeting new people are all possible because of my social media consumption.
Social media is a powerful tool; what we choose to use it for can be beneficial or detrimental to our health. Pulling into the parking lot, I reflected on the trust I placed in the virtual connection I made. I had just driven an hour to a random office to have someone I have never met stick needles into my quad. From another perspective, I could be sitting in my apartment, clueless about who to ask, where to go, or what to do if it was not for my formed relationships through my smartphone.
In class, professor Gordon stated, “There is no sense of completion [while scrolling through media]… we can indefinitely scroll”. I understand his point; without social media, I do not think I would be the digital creator I am today without it. My habits with media are to better myself and learn. I often watch youtube tutorials and informative Tiktok videos and join the Instagram lives of professional athletes and coaches. I don’t think my relationship with social media is comparable to my peers. I learned that when I share, post, and tweet the life I live authentically and truthfully, that is where I obtain the most fulfillment from having a social media platform and influence. I believe everyones’ social media consumption log looks vastly different. Every day, we all have 86,400 seconds, but what we do with this time truly brings meaning to our lives.
I used an office gif of Dwight Schrute to send to my friend as we made dinner plans for our evening after a long day!
Here is a gif my dad sent in my family group chat regarding my run test for lacrosse. My family is very into fitness and tends to use this gif when one of us has a significant or timed run we have been preparing for. Even though my family is 3,000 miles away, this gif makes me feel connected and supported by them even when I have challenging tests. The gif on the right ("I just felt like running") is a reply I sent back. The quotes relate to the person I am because I always view fitness as something to not complain about but rather as a way to better my feelings. Like first Gump, I had to get out there and have some fun running with my teammates.
As mentioned in my blog, my fitness watch give daily information and analytic to allow myself maximum performance and recover as I compete and the division one level here at USC on the women's lacrosse team! The data on the left are my stats from Friday, before spending my day focusing on treatment and recovery. Then, on the right, you can see a vast change in my bodies health and recovery the day of our fitness test! My consumption of social media exposed me to Whoop and have enhanced my knowledge on how to train smarter rather than harder.