Media By Mariam

Tracking my media usage this past week was extremely insightful and honestly a little alarming. It revealed that my screen time is much higher than I ever intended it to be. My longest day was Day 1, totaling nine hours of screen time, while my shortest was Day 3 with six hours and fifty-five minutes. Even at my lowest, I was still spending a significant portion of my day on my devices. Unsurprisingly, most of my time each day fell into the category of “Smartphones,” which reflects how deeply integrated phones have become in everyday life, from communication to entertainment and even productivity.

Altogether, my usage added up to thirty-nine hours and fifty-five minutes across five days. Seeing that number genuinely shocked me because it means I spent nearly two out of those five days entirely consuming media or interacting with electronics. When the time is added together, it becomes impossible to ignore how large a role media plays in shaping daily routines, attention, and habits.

This experience forced me to reflect more intentionally on what I choose to consume. If media occupies this much space in my life, then it becomes even more important that the content I engage with is meaningful, educational, or genuinely fulfilling rather than simply filling time.