For this assignment, I was asked to track my media usage over a 24-hour period and take note of any questionable or misleading content I came across. The goal was to look at how we interact with media in our daily lives and how misinformation might show up in what we watch, read, or listen to. It also gave me the chance to reflect on how I respond to this kind of content and what steps I take to think more carefully about it.
Before getting into my media diary, I think it’s fair to share a little about my personal views. I don’t consider myself a conservative or a liberal. I’m an independent. I watch a mix of content from different sources across platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and TV. On this particular day, many of the influencers I happened to watch were conservative, but that doesn’t mean I always agree with them. People are more complex than what they watch, and opinions are shaped by all kinds of experiences, not just politics. I tend to gravitate toward influencers who come across as critical thinkers. I like hearing from people who can put their personal views aside and who are willing to admit when they got something wrong after learning more. Even then, I don’t just take what they say at face value. I still think carefully about what I’m hearing and what I choose to believe.
Let’s get into it.
7:00 a.m.: Started the day by asking Alexa what the weather will be like that day, so that I know what to wear. I proceeded to listen to a random playlist on YouTube Music while getting ready. The music helped set a positive tone for the morning.
8:00 a.m.: After logging in for work, I played a YouTube video on my personal computer for background noise. The video was titled “Ryan Reynolds Forced His 7-Year-Old Daughter To Say WHAT?!” by Candace Owens. While I don’t agree with everything that Candace Owens speaks on I do enjoy watching her videos as I find her to be a critical thinker. She helps to make sure I don’t live in a silo of information and gives me different perspectives to consider.
In the episode I have linked below, Owens discusses actor Ryan Reynolds having his young daughter, Inez, deliver a line with explicit language in the movie Deadpool & Wolverine. She critiques Reynolds’ decision and questions the appropriateness of involving a child in such content. I dove deeper with this and despite the fact that Owens does play the clip of Ryan Reynolds and Shawn Levy, I wanted to find the full version. Click on the image to the left to go to it.
My take: I was surprised by the claim, especially because Ryan Reynolds has a reputation for being a family man and having a more clean-cut public image. Owens sharing the clip of him admitting that he had his daughter say the line nearly 500 times really added to her point and made the claim feel more real. At one point, around the 10:28 mark, Owens says, “They’re turning it into a joke and want us to believe that Justin Baldoni is the creep in all of this, this is running parallel to him shouting at Justin Baldoni in a penthouse about his wife being uncomfortable.…” That line really stuck with me. What stood out even more is how both Ryan and Blake Lively seem comfortable with this kind of thing involving their child, yet they act shocked and outraged when it comes to the recent claims against Justin Baldoni. This makes it harder for some people to take their stance seriously. It might even make people question how honest they are being and start to doubt the claims altogether.
LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ5GCitTe14&ab_channel=CandaceOwens
10:00 a.m.: After completing some work tasks, I played a YouTube video titled “Brett Cooper’s Clone BOMBS. | Candace Ep 125” by Candace Owens. In this episode, she talks about Nick Fuentes, updates on the Tate brothers, and shares her thoughts on Brett Cooper’s new show. Owens brings up how branding and public image can shift quickly online and critiques how Cooper’s launch was handled. This is an older show that I never watched.
My take: I noticed the mix of gossip and commentary. Some of the things Owens mentioned about the Tate case were vague and not backed up with clear sources, so it made me pause and think about how people can shape narratives without giving full context. It reminded me to look deeper into things that sound too bold or dramatic to be true at face value.
LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp440jftxxU&t=983s&ab_channel=CandaceOwens
11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.: During my four-hour work meeting, which included a 30-minute break, I began watching a video from Brett Cooper’s new channel titled “Why Trans Activists Are Attacking This Gym Owner | Episode 14.” In this episode, Cooper discusses the increasing trend of transgender activists criticizing women who establish female-only spaces.
She highlights a specific case involving a gym owner who faced backlash for maintaining a women-only policy at her facility. Cooper examines the broader societal implications of such disputes and questions the balance between inclusivity and preserving spaces designated for biological women. To the right is the gym owner’s Instagram. I was curious about learning more. Find her @nataleebarnett_ or click on the image.
My take: I noticed that Cooper presents a strong viewpoint on the subject, emphasizing the challenges faced by women who advocate for female-only spaces. While she provides specific examples to support her perspective, it’s important to approach such content with a critical mindset, recognizing potential biases and seeking out multiple sources to gain a comprehensive understanding of the issue. This experience reminded me of the importance of evaluating information from various angles and being mindful of the complexities involved in discussions about inclusivity and rights. I later finished this video after my coming appointment.
LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REWfqpaw8Vc&ab_channel=BrettCooper
3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.: After the meeting, I signed off a bit early from work to head to an appointment. On the drive there and back, I listened to music on YouTube Music. Since I didn’t have to wait once I arrived, I didn’t really get the chance to take in any other media during that time. It was mostly just a music break and a bit of time to reset.
6:00 p.m.: Around this time, I helped my husband make dinner, and after we ate, we spent some time as a family watching Teen Wolf with our daughter, who is totally hooked on the show right now. We’re currently on Season 4 and watched Episodes 18 and 19. Since I don’t want to give any spoilers, I’ll just say the show keeps things exciting, and it’s been fun to watch it together as a family.
9:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.: After our daughter went to bed, my husband and I spent the rest of the evening playing a game together on our computers. We both really enjoy first-person shooters and survival games, and right now we’re into The First Descendant. It’s a fun co-op game with solid action and cool visuals, so it’s been a nice way for us to unwind together. We played until about 11:30, then shut everything down and called it a night.
Looking back at my media use over the day, I was surprised by how much I actually take in without realizing it. Some of it was just background noise while I worked, and some of it was content I really paid attention to. What stood out to me the most was how some of the information I heard wasn’t clearly true or false. It was more about how things were being said and what was being left out. There were times where I had to stop and think about what the real message was and if I was being influenced without noticing. Even when something isn’t meant to be full-on fake news, it can still lean a certain way, especially when opinions are mixed in with facts. It reminded me how easy it is for people to be led in one direction depending on how something is framed.
I’ve found myself really interested in the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni case, not just because of the gossip and the he said and she said claims, but because of how people are reacting to them. I’ve always been curious about how the human mind works, and this situation has so many layers. It’s not just about misinformation – it’s about how that misinformation is being delivered, the words being used, and who is saying what. Major news outlets and influencers all seem to be handling the story differently, and you can almost see their personal biases shaping how they present it.
As someone who works in marketing and studies what drives trends and buying habits, it’s fascinating. It also ties right into why I chose to minor in Sociology. Watching how this plays out feels like a real-time example of how influence and persuasion work, both online and off. As a bonus I’m also learning quiet a bit about the law, how it works and unfortunately how it can be manipulated.
This whole assignment showed me how useful it is to slow down and really pay attention to the content I watch or listen to. I didn’t run into tons of clearly fake content, but I did see patterns in how certain voices are louder depending on the topic. The Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni situation is a good example. Different outlets and influencers have covered the same story in vastly different ways. It’s the kind of thing that can shape how people feel about someone without them realizing why. This is part of why I care so much about how information spreads. It connects with what I’m studying in marketing and sociology, because both fields look at how people think and what drives their decisions. This activity reminded me that media is everywhere, and staying sharp about what I’m taking in is something I need to keep doing, not just for class but in everyday life.
