Story 9: What is Your Media Pyramid?

People are busier than ever these days.  We are a society that is always on the go.  Yet with all of this lack of free time, a recent study shows that the average American consumes some sort of media at least nine hours a day.  With media playing such an important role in our lives, a healthy balance of that media can not be over looked. 

This is the focus of Eric Deggan’s article What is Your Media Pyramid?  Deggan spoke to students at Eckerd College to find out just what students in their teens and early twenties are viewing each day.  His responses ranged from The New York Times to ESPN to “The Daily Show” and yes even “Family Guy.” 

Students and adults in the working force alike have to pick and choose what they consume on a schedule that works best for each individual person.  This is now easier than ever with technology changing as rapidly as it is.  Deggans says choosing your media is a lot like choosing your food diet.  For example, the following can be compared:

A healthy salad                                              The Washington Post

An apple and banana                                   Newsweek Magazine

A sub sandwich and a bag of chips           “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report”

A greasy slice of pizza                                    ESPN’s “Sportscenter”

A huge bowl of ice cream                               “The Simpsons”

“Nobody says you shouldn’t ever eat sugar or ice cream, and nobody says you should eat raw spinach every day.  News is one of the most important functions and there’s entertainment…but the two tend to be blurred together often” says Dietram Scheufele, a professor at the University of Wisconsin.

The bottom line is this.  Enjoy yourself while consuming this new age of news, entertainment and infotainment, just make sure as a citizen, your diet is healthy.