My Media Diet – 2010

Around this time of year we all get a little reflective. I think back on what has worked and what has not – I look for what resonates for me and builds into a trend. I think about the lessons I have learned and then consider what could have been better. What I am looking for is the anatomy of the perfect day.

And one of the most interesting exercises is to look at my own personal media consumption. I don’t necessarily look at ALL the things that I have read, listened to or watched – but rather what seems to be trending. What is building from an idea into a behaviour or a habit.

Increasingly – in 2010 – it’s more about what consumes ME.

What I mean by this is that my consumption is becoming far less passive. I need and expect media with a purpose. I am less patient and more exacting. And I am far more reliant on my personal networks than ever before.

So what – in particular – has changed? To begin with – let me just say that everything has changed. 2010 seems to have been the year when my digital dalliances became full-blown behaviours. I believe this has been driven by two key shifts:

1. Improved ISP broadband speeds (I increased both my connection speed and the download limit this year)
2. Ease of consumption – a new router, an iPad and an iPhone now mean I can more easily and readily consume content. After all, ease of use drives consumption.

But in terms of the media itself …

Books

• 2008: Michael Port’s Book Yourself Solid; John Grant’s Brand Innovation Manifesto: How to Build Brands, Redefine Markets and Defy Conventions
• 2009: Snoop by Sam Gosling, Chris Penn’s ebook on synchronising social networks
• 2010 – more books, but eBooks for travel and convenience (ie I often buy both versions): Rachel Botsman and Roo Reynolds’ What’s Mine Is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption; Salman Rushdie’s The Enchantress of Florence; Charlene Li’s Open Leadership

TV/Movies

• 2008: A couple of movies borrowed from local video store; and shows from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
• 2009: A couple of movies downloaded from the web; and shows mostly from Australian Broadcasting Corporation (eg Gruen Transfer, The Bill, Bed of Roses).
• 2010: Catching up on older, quality series (especially since The Bill has ended!) via online download or sometimes iTunes. I am particularly interested in strong narrative arcs – Six Feet Under, True Blood, Supernatural (hmm, I can see a theme here); and when it comes to TV, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Q&A program is must-see viewing.

Music

• 2008: Missy Higgins and Sneaky Sound System downloaded from iTunes
• 2009: Sonixtrip’s new EP, Counting Crows. But more personal play lists from YouTube
• 2010: I have been consuming significantly less music this year. I’m listening to more AM radio and older tracks – mostly from my own personal listing

News

• 2008: Newspapers delivered to my door on weekend. No magazines. A handful of feeds and a lot of blogs
• 2009: Newspapers delivered to my door on weekend. SMH.com.au during week after scanning Twitter for latest news, Facebook status/feeds,WotNews, SocialMedian alerts. And around 200 daily feeds
• 2010: No more newspapers delivered to my door. News scanning via Twitter, confirmations via The Guardian and other digital editions. I have been largely ignoring the local online instances of the mainstream press, relying instead on sites like crikey.com.au. I extensively use Feedly to corral several hundred RSS feeds into a manageable form and I simply love the personal curation available through Paper.li.

Digital advertising

I have never been a big fan of online display advertising. I think I have clicked on half a dozen banner ads in the last 10 years. I am more interested in particular eDM communications and offers  to which I have subscribed. Winners here include Torpedo7, City Software, Saba and Sportscraft. I continue to avoid most branded fan pages on Facebook but will generally follow branded Twitter accounts.

But what about you? What makes your perfect day?