Here is an updated log of my media use that goes deeper into how I utilize these platforms and what data I believe affects what I see and hear.
7:00am: Scrolled through Instagram and my email inbox
When I woke up, I scrolled through my Instagram like I usually do every morning. As I was scrolling through my feed, I realized that I was getting a large amount of targeted ads. I had never realized that I allowed Instagram to track my activity across other apps which explains why there were many websites that I visit, such as PacSun, that sent different ads across my feed.
8:00am: Playing my Daylist on Spotify at the gym
I went to the gym and opened my Spotify. I played my Daylist, which is again a curated playlist of music which tends to my taste in music at a certain times of the day. I honestly find it fascinating and slightly helpful that Spotify looks at what I listen to throughout the day and makes a playlist for me to listen to.
10:00am: Watch Youtube during breakfast
As I was eating breakfast, I watched some YouTube for entertainment as I usually do. I must be watching a lot of food videos while I am eating, because when I was trying to find a video to watch, all of the suggested videos were related to food.
2:00pm: Listened to my updated Daylist on the way to meet a friend for coffee
I had a friend come over to hang out at my place, so I decided to play more music from Spotify from my Daylist. Since it was later in the day, the music changed drastically. It is very interesting to me how different the playlist is at different times of day and that the platform can almost sense the mood I am in.
4:00pm: Watched the Big Bang Theory on Max
My friend and I decided to watch something on Max, and I was suggested The Big Bang Theory. I grew up watching this show, but had never watched it on Max before, so it was definitely weird to see that show immediately suggested.
7:00pm: Scrolled through Instagram during dinner
As I ate dinner, I decided to scroll through my Instagram feed and saw a lot more suggested posts having to do with childhood nostalgia. Earlier in the day, I set up Disney Plus on my TV through my phone since my family got a new account, so needless to say the permission to track activity definitely came into play.
9:00pm: Winding down with YouTube
Winding down for the day with YouTube is a part of my daily routine, and like last week, I have been watching a lot of golf to wind down. When I opened the app, I was immediately met with a plethora of golf content. I can confidently say that Google’s algorithm works like a charm.
After today, I realized that my media experience is very dependent on suggestions made by the platform. Even though it seems invasive, I believe that the permissions I have given have greatly enhanced my experience. I have changed a lot of my privacy settings this week and have been more conscious about my data sharing, but I don’t think I will change anything else due to my feeds catering so well to my interests. I love the satisfaction these platforms give by allowing me to expand my interests through my media consumption.
Tyler's Media Diary 
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