Katey Workman's Media Blog

I've been bad at staying off the phone this week while I'm outside. Its been hard because there's been so much to do, and I just had to get it done. But I realize that I feel like I've gotten no down time, my mid feels like it's still working and like I don't even remember the last few minutes if I'm on my phone in transit. And I'm missing Fall! It's terrible!  It's not worth it. If I can avoid it I want to redouble my efforts to stay off the phone when outside so I don't miss this: 

My dad is in town. We'd just had Sunday Dinner with the family--so much roast I wanted to burst. After more roast and then steamy berry cobbler with iced vanilla bean Tillamook we enacted the classic-- everyone move into the living room and talk. But apparently the boys weren't that interested in getting to know each other and learn inspiring stories about others lives, oh no. The call of "super smash...super smash...super smash..." was apparently too strong. The gender divide was nearly perfect-- the boys (mostly young) went downstairs to play video games together, while the women (and fathers) stayed in the living room. I enjoyed our talk and learned so much from it. I couldn't help but feel frustrated at those boys! They were missing out for something so trivial! I thought myself very high and mighty. But then not 2 hours later, after much of the family had left, those of us who remained found ourselves cracking up as we passed phones back and forth shari...

My mom has a Monday tradition. Each week on Monday, on facebook, she posts a little vignette about something she's grateful for in the past week. She calls it Mahalo Monday. Her weekly mini-installments are little light showers that help me feel good about things around me, and encourage me to look for the good in my life as well. And I know I'm not the only consumer-- All of her followers are tuned in for the next week's entry.  I've always been one to stay off of social media, afraid of the harm it will do to me, and uninterested in putting myself in the ring of mass media consumption. It's probably more self preservation than anything. But I see how my mom is able to be a light to others on social media, and I'd love to be able to do the same. Perhaps I can do that on here a little bit, as practice!   

I posted about it elsewhere on my social Media Outlets, but I should've linked it here. By Far the most media I use in one go has got to be during General Conference weekend-- 8-10 hours of television watching. But it's the best kind of uplifting, inspiring, and guiding programming ever. General Conference is an example of how God has given us technology in these times to spread forth the gospel and make transmission of messages easier. We live in some cool times! https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/general-conference?cid=HP_PTH_CONF_10_6_19&lang=eng

Rachel Platten v. Adam Levine: "Stand By You" and "Locked Away" I've long had a bone to pick (not beef to pick, right? colloquialisms!) with the sort of relationship depicted in the song "Locked Away" feauring Adam Levine. I admit, when I first heard it, I dug it. Great tune, seemed sincere, uplifting. But then I listened to the lyrics.... : "If I showed you my flaws (please do, Adam)... If I couldn't be strong (join the club)-- Would you still love me the same? (Of course, Adam, we all have down days!)...... If I got locked away (wait...) And we lost it all today ( what did you lose?? Why ??) Would you still love me the same...?" Well, Adam, I'm afraid to say I don't think after you've been jailed (apparently) for making some morally questionable and hugely risky move, that the love between us would be quite what it was! The idea of being a companion through thick and Thin is an ideal I think we all hope for and st...

As I'm in (albeit the end of) my college years, I figure I will never have more time than I do now for reflection and contemplation. The prime time for these endeavors? While walking. To and from home, to and from class and work-- optimal, unfettered Time. And yet, reflect and contemplate aren't verbs I'd use all that often since my eyes and mind are either on the phone, on the laptop, or listening to some audio something. The result of this is disengagement, a sense of lost time, and boredom. In an effort to take advantage of my university time that remains, and to reclaim the glories of nostalgic childhood imagination-generating boredom, I've decided to try to get rid of my en-route distractions. While I'm walking I will either not listen to anything, using the time instead to be one with my thoughts (or the honking cars next to me, either one!) or use it for prosocial ends such as talking with a loved one on the phone. I will be accountable for my time. Min...

BYU FOOTBALL (c) Brigham Young University 30-27. Upset overtime win. 2nd week in a row. What does a live-action football game have to do with media? A lot it turns out. At the game there was ceaseless noise. When it wasn't the crunching of helmets there was the blasting pop-songs over the stadium sound system-- new hits and old classics. Even the flow of the game is at the mercy of media with a little something called a "MEDIA timeout", where the two sides are granted essentially a free timeout because the TV tycoons broadcasting the game need more time to advertise their sponsor's products. During these particularly long breaks, the stadium announcer-man asked us to pull our phones out to play a stadium-wide trivia game that paired what the responses given on our phones with the calibrating graphic on the big screens. And post-game, especially after an exciting win like this one, the car ride home means listening to the Radio (Voice of the Cougars Greg Wrubell...