The Diet of the Mind: How Media Shapes Your Reality
Humans are complex and captivating beings. I once heard that we are like “tape recorders with bad playback.” If that is at all true, this means that what we engage with, has the potential to deeply affect us, both emotionally and spiritually. Oftentimes, we monitor what we eat, but not what we watch or listen to. Let’s dive into a few inputs that we receive throughout the day, examining how they might alter our mind.
The Songs that Shape Us
Music is a medium of entertainment that is transcendent. Many of us take pride in our playlists and music choices. It is tied to tradition, or even can be enjoyed by the individual to enhance activities, or provide an escape. While popular songs can be brushed off as only for amusement, the effect music has on our minds and beliefs, suggests otherwise. By looking at the Billboard Hot 100 at any given moment, it becomes evident that virtue is under attack. Many of the top albums from 2025, in particular, are riddled with lyrics that we would never want a little cousin or younger sibling to hear. We make exceptions when it comes to our own interactions with these songs, labeling them as harmless. A song need not have explicit lyrics to impact a person’s mindset. To name a few, themes such as self-glorification, victimization, and pedestalization of the opposite gender can shape listeners' beliefs and reality. A global survey by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, found that people listen to an average of three hours of music per day. This is 20% of your waking hours! What you listen to matters, so feed your mind with music that is worthy of your attention. With dreamlike instrumentals, and catchy lyrics, any of us are susceptible to the influence of music.
What We Watch, We Absorb
What shows do you enjoy watching? Are they reality shows, timepieces, action, adventure, or thrillers? The eyes and ears are a gateway to the soul. What we watch has the power to shape our opinions and morph our preferences. Although we are able to identify that what we are watching is fiction, our subconscious minds can view it as authentic. According to studies by Nielsen and Statista, the categories that attract the highest viewership from women include drama, reality tv, and romantic comedies. These shows often portray unrealistic examples of relationships as well as anti-social tendencies that can only “successfully” be practiced by a small percentage of people. What used to be labeled as entertainment has now turned educational. Instant chemistry, game playing, and hyperfocus on appearance, are a few ideas that have been adopted due to an increase in viewership of these kinds of shows. I don’t intend to take the fun out of watching shows, but instead encourage mindfulness and an understanding of the lingering effects of how what we watch affects our inner world.
When Connection Turns into Comparison
Social media is here to stay. It has become integrated into the daily lives of billions of people across the globe, many starting the day by checking it and ending in the same way. What used to be an innocent way to share our lives with friends and keep in touch, has consumed us. Many have referenced social media as a highlight reel, or a place to “flex”, and compare their lives to those of others. Comparison is the thief of joy and social media makes it all too easy to contrast your life to your friends’, influencers, athletes, politicians, you name it. Due to this, it is essential to be cognizant of your social media usage and ensure that it is net positive in your life. Is it controlling you or are you in control of it? We all have unique characteristics that make us who we are. I encourage you to take some time to brainstorm how you can have a relationship with social media that enables you to think clearly and have time to pursue activities that are enriching with your spare time.
Listening Without Living
Podcasts can often be a fun way to learn about a variety of topics, however, sometimes we find ourselves overconsuming information without allowing the time to synthesize the findings before moving on to the next. It is too easy to spend a significant amount of our free time listening to other’s opinions and life experience without considering whether or not it is applicable to us. I saw this quote on Substack from Victoria Achieng that struck a chord in me:
“Too much consumption of self-help, dating, and faith based content is not healthy for the brain… Sometimes you need to tailor decisions to your experience, not the expertise and testimonials of others.”
While podcasts can be fascinating, they put many ideas in our mind that frankly, we did not pick up out in the wild and can struggle to make sense of in our daily lives. There is a place for them, although I see them more as supplements rather than replacements for lived experience. Our priority should be to learn through practice, mentorship, research, and asking questions. We might find ourselves feeling more rewarded and satisfied learning lessons in this way.
Protecting Your Peace in a World of Noise
When thinking of the future, does it seem hopeful or grim to you? Quick and continued access to news can lead to information overload. The news can be full of stories that detail catastrophic events, almost all of which (as individuals) we are unable to control. By switching through channels, we may see discussions of wars, political division, and rising crime rates. What might that be doing to our minds and greater perspectives of the world? I am not advocating for anyone to be uninformed but instead to exercise self control in regards to the frequency of their engagement with the news. My brother said to me a while ago that “if you don’t go on your phone or watch the news, the world is actually a pretty good place.” I don’t find this statement to be ignorant, but optimistic, choosing to recognize the good in the world, rather than the bad.
Choosing What Shapes You
Globally, people spend 8 hours, or half of their waking hours interacting with some form of media I previously discussed. In the United States, this average jumps to 12 hours per day (when counting passive use). As it absorbs so much of our time, our media consumption is worth inspecting. When you’re not used to filtering through the content you consume, increasing your awareness can seem unnatural. That is okay! Remind yourself that the parameters you set now will ensure that your judgment is less clouded in the future.
Is the nourishment that you feed your mind bringing you peace, joy, and satisfaction? If not, what can you do in the coming days, to make a shift, one that your future self will thank you for?