I\u2019ve got to say\u2026 this assignment was much harder than I thought it would be. Tracking one’s own media consumption across multiple platforms and devices is honestly a pain in the you-know-what. So I got a little creative. Truth be told, it also freaked me out a bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hear me out\u2026 I watch a lot of random stuff on Facebook videos and YouTube (yeah, I\u2019m old enough to remember Myspace\u2026lol). Come to find out, you can download your entire activity history from Google, across all devices. That realization alone was a little unsettling. Google really does track everything you do online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anyway, back to the assignment. Instead of using the typical \u201cI woke up at\u2026\u201d approach, I pulled metadata from my activity history over a little more than a 24-hour period. I also marked videos I found interesting or questionable by saving them as I was watching them. Below is a sample of what I watched, and fair warning, I\u2019m all over the place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I didn\u2019t change my habits at all, I just paid more attention to what I normally do and watch. Most of my media consumption came from YouTube, along with some quick Google searches and general doom scrolling through Facebook videos like anyone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What surprised me wasn\u2019t just how much media I consume (it\u2019s a lot), but also that at some level, there are questionable credibility and creators. Not necessarily fake, but exaggerated, biased, or missing context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Media Diary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n March 28, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 9:00 a.m. \u2013 11:30 p.m.<\/strong> 12:30\u20131:00 p.m.<\/strong> 1:00\u20137:00 p.m.<\/strong> 7:00 p.m.<\/strong> 8:00\u201310:45 p.m.<\/strong> A few that stood out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first and last one made me pause. I\u2019ve heard that claim before and knew it didn\u2019t sound right or atleast misleading at best, flat-out wrong at worst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n March 29, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 9:00\u201310:00 a.m.<\/strong> At this point, a pattern was pretty obvious from the content I was now consuming. Big claims, strong opinions, and a lot of authority being used to sell the message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1:00\u20133:30 p.m.<\/strong> This was probably the most questionable stretch. Everything was quick, emotional, and clearly designed to get a reaction more than encourage critical thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What Actually Seemed Questionable<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Most of what I saw wasn\u2019t outright fake\u2014it was more subtle than that. It felt like half-truths, exaggerated claims, or information framed in a specific way to push a certain reaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The law enforcement videos stood out the most. Titles like \u201ctyrant cop\u201d or \u201cgets owned\u201d immediately tell you how you\u2019re supposed to feel before you even watch. That\u2019s not neutral\u2014it\u2019s framing. Even if the situation is real, you\u2019re only seeing a snapshot with limited context, and the creator is setting the tone for how you interpret it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then there are the emotional videos, like the one about the baby and the dog. Those are probably the easiest to believe because they hit you emotionally first. But once you slow down and think about it, there\u2019s usually no real source or proof backing them up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How I Tried to Fact-Check<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For some of these, I actually stopped and started looking things up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the \u201cporcelain Glock<\/a>\u201d idea being discredited by WarriorPoetSociety<\/a> (referencing a scene from Die Hard 2<\/em>), I checked reliable sources, including manufacturer information. Turns out it\u2019s a myth and a significantly perpetuated one. Glocks<\/a> absolutely contain metal components and are detectable on any medal detector, especially airport systems. This confirmed my initial reaction that the video was true<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Started off watching longer YouTube videos about an RV tour (in the market soon) and one about rattlesnakes and how their rattles work. These felt pretty normal and informative, slower pace, nothing really raised red flags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Watched a couple more videos about gaming and general aviation, and watched some updated news regarding the recent Air Canada crash. Mostly entertainment or educational content. Nothing stood out as misleading. Also had lunch with my wife at home. We\u2019re big fans of a good cheese plate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Played Star Citizen<\/a><\/em> with friends. This game has been in development since 2012 and is crowdfunded\u2014I\u2019ve definitely invested more money into it than I probably should have. Since this was a big block of time, I\u2019ll mention a YouTube creator I follow for this game\u2014BoredGamer.<\/a> I\u2019d consider him a pretty reliable source within that niche.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jumped back on YouTube and started scrolling casually. Saw a mix of home improvement, memes, and random clips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
This is where things started to shift. I was watching short clips between homework and dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Heavy scrolling, mostly YouTube Shorts. Watched things like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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More Shorts, even faster pace:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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