Media consumption can come in a variety of channels, often mediated through sources of globalized public information which anyone can potentially access. It is an outlet of limitless information, opinions, points of view, entertainment, disinformation, and topics that incentivize or intrigue the individual mind. While immersed in media for the allotted time period, I utilized the social media platforms, Instagram and Snapchat, while also playing electronic games on an entertainment system. During the hour, I noticed that time seemed to become relative, skewed, or subject to the level of investment put into the form of media I was being exposed to. While actively engaging in media, I found my mentality to be quite monotonous and detached from the perception of the real world, as though I were in a trance. In the process of consuming electronic media, I found my mental capacity for pondering certain subjects or the act of reflection and contemplation of information to significantly decrease. My cognitive function was merely based on what was happening at each instantaneous moment.
Shifting directions toward a more nature-inclined environment lacking in anthropogenic interference, the intake of information and the perception of mental cognition seemed entirely inverse to that of a media-centered atmosphere. For this hour of no media content or external anthropogenic information, I spent my time in the Scott’s Run Nature Preserve for my job as a Natural Resource Manager and Conservationist for Fairfax County Park Authority. While walking through the preserve the concept of time seemed to become skewed to me, similar to the hour of media consumption, but with time seemingly increasing in its longevity. The only cognizant information to process in the given environment were natural sounds, smells, and feelings in the surrounding area. Moreover, during that hour my mind felt curiously at ease with the world, yet at the same time pondering a plethora of information, ranging from what the future might hold or what tasks I must complete, to random topics such as how the balance of naturally occurring forces of the environment work and how we as humans fit into everything. Furthermore, I feel that I can attribute this string of thoughts to the excessive daily consumption of media we retain each day from the globalization of information.
In summary, the time spent in both environments being exposed to different types/forms of information is inversely proportional in terms of their impact on my mentality. From the hour of media consumption, it felt as though time seemed to increase in speed, while my mentality seemed to flatline as though there was nothing to ponder or think about as if I were in a trance or loop. On the other hand, while being present in a natural surrounding environment without the influence of anthropogenic information, the concept of time only seemed to further lengthen itself, making one hour feel like two. As for my mentality, my encounter with an abundance of stimulation for my senses from the surrounding natural environment gave me a mental sense of peace and relaxation to where I was able to think. Without media overloading my cognitive capacity, I had the possibility of reflection and/or contemplation.