With summer right around the corner, we’ll soon find ourselves with more time to spare. How you spend your time may vary, but we can guarantee at least a fraction of that time will be spent on your phone, scrolling through some type of media (and don’t worry—we’re guilty of this as well). Instead of spending that time scrolling, why don’t you take the opportunity to add to the content you enjoy? Here are our takes on common types of media, to help get your creativity gears moving. A rating of 1 indicates that it’s not our desired choice, and a rating of 10 is a solid option of entertainment.
Short Videos
Connie: 8/10. Begrudgingly, I swear these short videos are the cause of all my academic troubles because once you’re a couple in, it’s too late and you fall into the rabbit hole of mindless scrolling, scrolling, and more scrolling. I try to make sure my shorts feed is stuff with a little substance but honestly, it usually ends up at the same mindless side anyway. Yet we keep coming back for more despite the brainrot…
Mia: 9/10. Most of my screen time is spent scrolling through short clips, either on YouTube or Instagram. It’s easy to accidentally spend much more time than you desire constantly scrolling, wondering what you might see next. Despite this, I never actually remember what I watched, it’s just what I turn to for passing time or procrastinating.
Photos
Connie: 10/10. Ah yes, my favorite way to collect “not blackmail” on my friends and relive through some of the funniest times with my friends. Photos serve as a great way to capture a moment in time for later reflection, like watching old videos of you and your friend from elementary school and seeing how much you both have grown. Photos are also a great way to remember people who’ve gone, maybe they’ve moved and you’ve lost touch, maybe life happens, or maybe they’ve just moved on. Photos are also a good way to reminisce on what you’ve lost.
Mia: 9/10. A quick glimpse of something from a different lens! Photos offer inspiration, perspective, and nostalgia. An easy and fun way to share some of your summer adventures and activities with others!
Tweets
Connie: 5/10. Oh what a mixed bag… from my experience, tweets either have the funniest statements and hot takes that’ll have you almost rolling off your bed, or they have some of the most vile disgusting outrageous takes you’ve ever seen, and there’s no inbetween. There’s also lots to say about the platform and some of the culture surrounding it, but the form of tweets themselves I think can have some substance and be pretty interesting sometimes.
Mia: 6/10. If you really don’t know where to start in the media industry, this might be a good bet. Make it about something you enjoy, or something you think others will enjoy. Make sure you consider the sanity of your future self by considering, “Will future me agree with this?” to avoid future regret or shame.
Podcasts:
Connie: 7/10. I don’t listen to podcasts often, but I do put on an episode or two in the background while cleaning or doing other tasks that require me to not look at a screen. I think they’re usually pretty informative or interesting for the most part, and the nicest part is that they don’t require your full attention on the screen. I don’t frequent podcasts, but my experiences from when I have listened to one are pretty positive.
Mia: 5/10. If you do this, you need to make it interesting. For me, the general low, sustained tone throughout a podcast episode puts me to sleep within minutes. I would recommend making the topic original and interesting, to keep your talk more interactive with the audience.
Forum Posts:
Connie: 6/10. Another… mixed bag. Everyone knows the glorious feeling of having an obscure question and googling it, hoping, praying, for anything and the first thing you get is a post from over five years ago on a forum, asking the same question and in the comments, is everything you could hope for on the subject. From the questions you have, to questions you will have, and questions you never even thought about, all are there for your perusal. On the other hand, you can once again, find some of the peak of internet degeneracy and vileness on forum posts as well. I rate these higher than tweets mainly because of how many times the good side of forums has bailed me out of tough situations.
Mia: 5/10. I don’t have much experience with these, so I’m trusting Connie with this one. These could be helpful for oddly specific questions (especially with homework), just make sure you’re considerate of the age and context it’s posted in.
Hopefully you have some new content ideas to go about. Summer is the time to try new things and finding your niche in the social media world could be a way to go! There are plenty of options to be enjoyed for a variety of purposes. Who knows, this could lead the way to a new passion and a path for you to enjoy! Just make sure you consume in relative moderation.