Information Values

Emma

This girl on tiktok has found a very simple way to put her hair into a twist/braid-thing using her index finger and her thumb on one hand. I’d love to learn how to do that, I don’t think I could. The show I’m watching plays its theme song, I think the song is probably called Greenback Boogie, but I’ve never heard it outside this context. The main character, Harvey, has brought a lawsuit on his firm that they have to prep for, but his apprentice is digging for dirt to blackmail the opposing lawyer into a reasonable settlement. Toyata will take you on a trip along a beautiful winding mountain road with your family; go places. A twitter thread is detailing the bizarre events of the 1904 Summer Olympics Men’s Marathon. People drank rat poision, there was only one water station, some guy ate rotten apples and took a nap and placed fourth. They’re doing a mock trial within the firm for practice, and Harvey’s former secretary shows up at the last second and then gets humiliated in front of everyone for the good of the trial. Blackmailing works out, they end up accepting the settlement. The managing parter is challenged for her position and must figure out a way to get the votes she needs to stay. Would you like to watch the next episode?

I’m walking along this forested trail with my dog, just 20 yards from a road and yet it feels like a completely different place. We walk the dirt trail along the creek, surrounded by trees and almost completely shaded the entire journey. The birds and bugs take turns drowning each other out with their chirps and cuzzing and cries. My dog wades intor the creek, sniffing rocks and leaves with equal intensity. I look down and see the familiar schools of minnows swimming along, some smaller than my pinky, others the length of my hand. The rocks, dirt, sand, and old leaves crunch beneath my feet. The sun shining onto the water reflects wavy patterns of light onto plants hanging over the creek. There is a bench that has been destroyed and is wrapped in caution tape; a tree fell on it from the looks of things. There is a missing cat by the name of “PawPaw” that was lost on August 19th. Please call Wendy at the number on the sign if you see him. I throw a stick into a deeper part of the creek for my dog to swim after, and as he leaps in, a holes made by critters along the bank make gulping noises as the water laps in and out. As we walk back along the trail, a single crow calls out from somewhere in the trees above us. 

From this experience I learned the different kinds of information that can be recieved in different ways and how they carry different value. Before starting this experiment, I was sure I would have much more information/things to say about my one hour of media, and wondered how I would be able to fill a solid paragraph with information from walking through the woods. After completing this exercise, however, I find that the information I took in as I walked through the forest with my dog was much more impactful and valuable to me, and it is not just information but a memory that I will hold with me. On the other hand, the information I took in from media including twitter, tiktok, and an episode of a TV show, is really not that important to me personally and I will defintely forget it in a fairly short amount of time, or at least I would’ve if I didn’t specifically need to retain it for this assignment.