In Tune: And so I say, ‘Let them eat steak’

Since it’s still (barely) January, I’ve decided I haven’t missed my window to commit to a belated New Year’s resolution.

To wit:

“This year, I resolve to deep-dive into the media I consume. For the next 339 days, I will finish every book I start. I will listen to albums in their entirety instead of skimming from single to single. I won’t begin a new video game while another virtual world’s fate hinges on my undivided attention.”

Growing up, this resolution wouldn’t have been necessary. I’d doggedly devour an author’s entire collected works before shifting my focus to someone new. A single CD would often spend weeks in my stereo, and I poured dozens of hours into games until I’d eked out every bit – and byte – of enjoyment.

Now, like many people, my attention is much less focused.

One of my Spotify sessions might touch on a dozen artists, but it’s rare that I’ll listen to more than two songs by each. Of the 239 titles in my digital games library, I’ve beaten nine. Yet even with a completion rate of less than 4 percent, I continue to buy new titles when they go on sale.

Depressingly, I rarely make time to dig into books or long-form articles anymore. Instead, I haunt newsfeeds, blogs and websites – a diet of information delivered in tiny, easily digestible chunks.

To be fair, this lifestyle is hard to avoid.

Last August, the Pew Research Center reported that two-thirds of Americans use Twitter as a news platform, but it’s hard to get crucial context and perspective from 140-character kibble. Despite this, Twitter is hard not to return to because it’s all so easy. You don’t even have to scroll. New posts rise to the top like doughnuts in a frying vat.

Streaming services and digital storefronts are just as bad. Their massive catalogs of available albums, TV shows and movies make it all too easy to switch titles on a whim rather than settling in for the long haul.

The grand irony of our post-millennial reality is that despite having free rein to explore this multimedia abyss, most of us are content to be stones skimming on the waves.

I used to consume news and pop culture the way a foodie appreciates a perfectly prepared steak. I would take my time and savor each bite to the fullest. Now, I’m like a blue whale gorging on swarms of minuscule, nutritionally thin factoids and telling myself I’ll feel full eventually.

Well, I’m tired of eating krill. This year, I’m back on the all-steak diet. Yes, it’ll require a bit more chewing, but I’d rather have a sore jaw than an empty head.

What about you?

Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @Phillips CTFP.