Conscious Consumption

Gloria Healy

In my research about mass media consumption, I found that as time goes on, more and more young people have been diagnosed with anxiety and depression because of spending too much time on social media. “Conscious Consumption” was created to provide young people, ages 16-25, with an outlet for their feelings and a replacement for the mindless scrolling through social media apps on their phones. Mass media is a general term used to describe any content that can be used to provide information or entertainment. The way that we have been consumed by media is not an accident. Social media apps use an algorithm to track and curate content for users that will encourage them to spend more time on the app, spend money, and encourage them to share content with their friends. To create a solution to this issue, I have created a guided journal. This journal has activities, writing prompts, original artwork created by myself, and space for free-writing. The journals are 8” by 5” so they are easy to carry around in a bag. My hope is that in those short breaks during the day when one would typically find themselves scrolling on social media to fill the time, they would instead reflect on how they are feeling. I hope that the journals are a nice way for people like myself to process their emotions in a productive way at their own pace.