By Colin McDonald
For the hour of media, I decided to look at news websites. Starting with the New York Times I look at the headlines, the big topics being discussed include the US and Russia arguing about Ukraine at the UN, Boris Johnson being criticized for having parties during Covid lockdowns, and the Moderna Covid vaccine gaining FDA approval. I click on and read an article about people in Senegal who sort through waste looking for plastic to sell; one woman supports her family with the $25 – $30 dollars she makes a week doing this. Throughout the article ads from Facebook, Capital One, and a clothing brand I’ve never heard of compete for my attention. Next, I go to The Washington Post, I see mostly the same topics in the headlines, as well as Joe Rogan and Spotify, and the Olympics (“The Games begin Feb. 4. What you need to know.”) I click on an article about the Biden administration putting more restrictions on coal plants. Here the ads seem more to do with the article, “Severe climate threats are increasing. These expert tips will help get you and your home ready.”
After that I go to NPR. “1 in 4 Americans say violence against the government is sometimes OK” reads the top story. Lastly, I go to BBC news. The top headline is about Ahmaud Arbery’s family being angry about a plea deal given to the people who murdered him. Under that “Trudeau calls trucker protest ‘insult to truth.’” I scroll down and click on “Lioness mauls zookeeper to death and escapes.” As I read about the lion that killed the zookeeper while being fed, animated text in a Popeyes ad informs me that the “$6 Big Box is back for a limited time!” next to a picture of fried chicken.
For the hour of nature I went to Mason Neck Park. There was a dusting of snow on the ground, and it was quiet except for some birds calling in the leafless trees above. As I walked down the trail I noticed that there were some large branches that look like they had recently fallen, and smaller trees had been bent and snapped. I thought that was probably due to the earlier heavy snow that fell at the beginning of January. At the end of the trail the forest ends, and a viewing platform overlooks the wetlands that the forest surrounds. The wetlands were frozen over, ice surrounding patches of mud with brown reed looking plants. There were birds in and around the wetlands, and I stood on the viewing platform taking in the view for a while.
From this experience I learned how my attention is affected by different things. In nature I was more aware of my surroundings and chose what to direct my attention to. On my phone things are made to try and get my attention, and information is extremely concentrated. Nature is not trying to sell me something, it was not made with humans in mind, yet I felt more satisfaction from experiencing the forest and wetlands than spending time on the internet.