Media Makes Us

As I’ve been working through the story I’m writing, I’ve been thinking a lot about the media I consume -how it influences my thoughts and actions.

Shaping Interest

I’ve watched the YouTube channel of Ryan Hollinger for a couple years now. He creates video essays exploring the horror genre and what the themes reveal about humanity. I see this as the primary influence on the story I’ve been writing this month. Combining horror themes with concepts from different story ideas I’ve had in the past has been interesting. It feels kind of like putting together a puzzle.

Throughout my life, a number of shows, movies, games, and books have led me to different interests. An anime called Dr. Stone made me want to learn more about engineering and primitive science. The story follows a modern scientist who ends up in a sort of post-apocalyptic world after all of humanity is turned to stone by a strange green light. I bought a reference book on engineering, andI even managed to find a manual from 1903 for people in a variety of careers at the local library given away for free. Looking back on old remedies and processes was informative, since so much of what we see and use today is beyond common practice.

Shaping Action

Media has not only shaped my interests but has often inspired me to actually go out and pursue those interests. It might be as simple as wanting to workout after a shonen action series has a training arc.

Reading a manga about wine professionals got me interested in trying more varieties. It’s been fun to try different styles, pair them with different foods, and prepare them differently. There’s still an incredible amount to learn if I really want to understand wine, but just knowing I decided to explore the subject was because a writer somewhere was passionate enough to tell a story about wine makes me happy.

This has, so far, been primarily focused on fictional media. The effect nonfiction has on my decisions and interests is even greater. There are so many trials I’ve explored simply from watching a documentary or YouTube video, or reading a blog post or book. For example, reading a post about personal finance inspires me to make better decisions with my money.