How Much Is Too Much?
Comments (2)
Hi, my name is Mark, and I'm a mediaholic. But that's not really much of a confession, is it? After all, I'm a journalism student writing a weekly column on media -- what did you expect?
But I did do something else that is far more shameful to admit: Last weekend I went to see "Confessions of a Shopaholic," the harmless, PG-rated, only-22-percent-fresh-on-rottentomatoes.com film staring Isla Fisher and some guy with a light dusting of stubble. What was I doing there? Penance.
It all goes back to my own addiction to media. I spend time each day checking Web sites ranging from The New York Times to the personal blogs of people I have never met. My daily routine includes checking up on a must-visit list of at least 10 sites right after breakfast in the morning. With all this time spent on media consumption, not to mention school, it's hard to find enough time to spend with my new wife. The long and short of it is, I earn brownie points by going to the occasional (although more often than I'd care to admit) chick flick. (What can I say, "He's Just Not That Into You" was better than I expected.)
So last Saturday night, I found myself sitting in a not-so-crowded theater, fighting the urge to check ESPN on my BlackBerry.
Though I couldn't relate to protagonist Rebecca Bloomwood's obsession with shopping, and while I most certainly do not "speak Prada" like the male love interest, watching "Confessions of a Shopaholic" did inspire me to reflect on its most powerful theme: addiction. If Rebecca was addicted to shopping, I must be addicted to reading the news. Let me count the ways ...
Shopaholics get up early for 6 a.m. doorbuster sales. As a mediaholic I relish the sites I can check that publish on East-Coast time, knowing I have three more daylight hours of news to catch up on.
Shopaholics find thrill in fashion. But is there anything more thrilling than reading a great piece of journalism? (Don't answer that.) Soon after the presidential election was over, Newsweek began posting its in-depth behind-the-scenes look at the various campaigns. The seven-part expose took hours to read, and yet I eagerly checked the site multiple times each day to see if the next section had been posted.
I know I'm a mediaholic because I'm interested in pretty much everything. For example, I can't stop reading a blog from the New York Times about reporter Lou Ureneck and his project to build a cabin in the woods of Maine. Will I ever build a cabin? Of course not! But I still want to know if Lou has finished framing his cabin windows.
The worst example of my expanding media consuption is something I truly am a bit ashamed to admit. I am 26 years old. My wife and I have no immediate plans to have children. And yet, for the life of me, I can't stop reading the blogs on Babble, the parenting site. I don't remember how I stumbled across the site, but now I await updates from Jane about her twin toddlers. Why? Maybe there is something wrong with me.
Some more proof of my mediaholism: The red breaking-news bar that runs across homepages gives me a thrill, then I obsessively refresh the homepage, waiting for the Associated Press story to be posted.
After I read all the main stories on a newspaper's site, I'll troll for any headline that looks interesting. "Fireplaces Step Out for Air." Sure, that might be interesting ...
According to the movie, shopaholics get into trances where they'll forget exactly what they've purchased. Half the stuff I read I'm skimming, so I frequently forget exactly what I read. My dear wife will ask if I read anything interesting, and sometimes I'll admit that I don't exactly know what I spent the last half-hour reading.
News is my drug, and I constantly need more. So what if I just checked Slate 15 minutes ago -- maybe something new has been posted!
I use online media to keep the buzz on after I've finished watching a movie or television show. After I watch "The Office" I'll read Nathan Rabin's post at the A.V. Club. After I watch "Top Chef" I'll check out Tom Colicchio's blog at the Bravo Web site. And don't get me started on "Lost" recaps.
Sure, I've gone on news binges before, too. My wrist will hurt from online scrolling. I ask myself why I spent an hour reading about the Crimean War on Wikipedia.
The ultimate indication: My wife calls my laptop "Mistress."
Do I need rehab? I guess I'd say that I don't have a problem. Is that statement an indication that I do need treatment? Is being a mediaholic the same as being a shopaholic? (It can't be, right?) Where do I draw the line between interest in the world around me and caring too much about things that simply aren't that important?
I'm a mediaholic because I admire good writing and I'm curious. Sure, there's no way that I'm going to build a cabin in the Maine woods, but I admire the guy who can hold my interest.
In the end, I think the agreement my wife and I have is pretty fair. I'll happily go see the latest chick flick if that means I've earned a few more points and can read the paper for another half-hour on Sunday morning.
The Accidental Husband opens March 27. I'll be there.
Comments
i can relate to many of the "indicators," including admiring good writing and reading about stuff that i will never do, like going to visit the potato museum somewhere in europe. i will show my age by admitting that with me it's the relentless clipping of articles--i have boxes and boxes of them that i can't bear to throw away because they represent years of being captivated by something. hey, who knows, maybe i'll stumble across that potato museum on the trip i hope to make someday and i'll be able to say, "i read about this years ago" and sound very informed.
I, too, am a not-so-recovering mediaholic, Mark. I've tried EVERYTHING to break the habit, including issuing a "no BlackBerry from midnight to 8 a.m." rule. It wasn't successful, and I succumbed to my Web alerts and RSS feeds. Too much news, too little time!