24 hr Media Diary 9/13
24-Hour Media Diary – Data & Privacy Focus
7 a.m. — Messages / Substack / Pinterest / Email
I start my morning by checking messages and emails, then move over to Substack and Pinterest. These feel like grounding habits, but I know they also involve sharing data. Email automatically logs my activity, and Substack knows which writers I subscribe to, which points to my personal and creative interests. On Pinterest, the things I search and save—like design ideas or studio project inspiration—are all tracked and used to push more of the same back to me. I don’t always notice it in the moment, but my morning “espresso shot” of media is also feeding an algorithm.
8 a.m. — TV
While stretching, I like to play a Studio Ghibli movie in the background. Streaming feels peaceful, but it’s another moment where data is quietly being collected. Watching titles like My Neighbor Totoro signals my taste for calm, artistic films, which is then reflected in the recommendations I see later.
9 a.m. — Apple Music / Podcast
Getting ready usually means turning on music or a podcast. Apple Music keeps track of the artists and playlists I listen to, so Beyoncé in the morning tells the platform a lot about my preferences. When I switch to a podcast like Anything Goes, that adds another layer of data, showing my interest in lifestyle and conversation-style content. I don’t think much about this while showering or putting on makeup, but every play and pause adds to my profile.
10 a.m.–12 p.m. — TV + Coursework
I set aside time for coursework, usually with Grey’s Anatomy running in the background. Canvas logs me in, keeps track of my submissions, and records how long I spend on assignments. Even though it’s an academic tool, it still generates patterns about my behavior. Meanwhile, the streaming service remembers I rewatch Grey’s Anatomy, so it continues suggesting long-running dramas.
1–6 p.m. — Canvas / Email / Messages / Apple Music
Studio hours are media-light but still involve plenty of digital tools. Canvas, email, and messaging keep me connected, though all of them store details about when I log in or how often I communicate. Apple Music runs quietly in the background, which feels like pure motivation for me, but it’s also part of the data cycle—energy playlists, work hours, repeated songs.
7 p.m. — Substack / Pinterest
In the evening, I return to Substack and Pinterest, this time for relaxation and personal inspiration. My activity is slightly different than the morning—more goal-setting boards, more reflective essays—but both platforms register the change and keep tailoring content to fit. It’s nice to unwind, but I’m aware that every saved pin or essay I click becomes part of a bigger digital pattern.
9 p.m. — Messages / Book (The Alchemist)
Before bed, I check my messages once more, then trade my phone for a book. Reading The Alchemist feels different—offline, calm, and private. It’s the only media of the day that doesn’t generate data, which makes it feel especially intentional.
Reflection on My Media Use
Looking back, I realized that nearly everything I did online involved giving away small pieces of information—sometimes personal details, but more often subtle behaviors like what I clicked on or how long I stayed. Even though I’ve stepped away from major social media, platforms like Pinterest, Apple Music, and Substack still build detailed portraits of me based on my routines.
A theme I noticed is that my media habits are very tied to structure—music for getting ready, shows for studying, essays and boards for winding down—but the data being collected isn’t structured in the same way. It’s ongoing, constant, and usually invisible to me. Reading a physical book at night stood out as a break from all of that, reminding me that not every form of media has to involve algorithms or tracking. I’m not sure I want to change my routines, but I am more aware of how even small, ordinary interactions online are recorded and used.