Repetitive Media Consumption Repetitive Media Consumption
watch feel and repeat watch reflect and repeat watch relate and repeat
We develop relationships with the media that we consume. Those relationships might be surface or superficial, temporary, or taken for granted. Many develop an intimate relationship with their media consumption, which may include a method of revisiting or reconsuming media- rereading, rewatching, relistening, repeating. There is a certain privacy that people maintain about their consumer habits, unless they are part of a shared media consumption experience. Someone might join a fan community online or find a mutual appreciation for a piece of media that acts as a common ground between friends/family members.
I am a lifelong repetitive media consumer. In typical reconsumer fashion, I rewatch seasons of television shows and the same movies, sometimes avoiding new ones as a result. I listen to audio books, often the same disc, on repeat. I'm a repetitive reader, web browser, and music appreciator. I look forward to sharing my favorite pieces of media with others. And I am not alone.
By researching online fansites and conducting interviews with self-proclaimed repetitive media consumers, I've found that, when offered a space to consider their consumption, most people will delight in sharing and discussing their media connections. Though the focus of this project has been on the act of reconsuming, a larger conversation on the nature of human relationships with media has been started. This installation explores, connects, and locates people on the spectrum of repetitive media consumption.
Installation Layout :
Interior
Imagine a small staged living room. Two arm chairs are positioned side by side, backs to the wall, each facing a T.V. dinner tray table. Each tray table is fitted with a small screen and a set of headphones. Directly on the other side of the room there is an identical set up, two chairs with tray tables and monitors. CONDITIONING runs on a loop on one side, CONFESSIONAL on the other.
Exterior
Directly outside of the living room, two small booths are positioned on either side of the exit. Each booth contains two armchairs, one empty and one with a laptop ready to record CONTRIBUTION.
Movies can and do have tremendous influence in shaping young lives in the realm of entertainment towards the ideals and objectives of normal adulthood.
-Walt Disney
CONDITIONING
In order to get into the mindset of the repetitive media consumer, allow yourself to undergo thorough repetitive media exposure. Many fans are so enamored with the "wonderful world of Disney" that they devote a large amount of their daily life to Disney related pursuits.
It's Starting!
Again and again
*confessions selected directly from http://waltdisneyconfessions.tumblr.com/ *
When I got my first television set, I stopped caring so much about having close relationships.
-Andy Warhol
CONFESSIONAL
This statement made by Warhol may have some truth to it, but many repetitive media consumers care about crafting relationships with and through their media consumption experiences. This series of Skype interviews gives insight into the rich private world of the repetitive media consumer. These voices create a shared personal media culture dialogue by disclosing intimate details about media use and media repetition.
Repetitive Media Consumer Confessional
Self identified repetitive media consumers contemplate their modes of interaction with media.
Questions to ask yourself:
Why do you consume and reconsume media? How do you develop relationships with the media you choose to consume? When did you first visit your favorite piece of media? Do you love this media? Do you know anyone else who loves this media as much as you do?
CONTRIBUTION
Are you a repetitive media consumer? Do you want to share your personal media experiences? A confessional contribution station is located outside of the exhibition. Question prompts are provided, but feel free to include your own reflections/anecdotes on media consumption. Your recorded statement will be added to the installations growing archive of confessional interviews, unless you request that your confession be vaulted. If you choose to vault your statement, it will remain digitally archived but not shared.
CONTRIBUTION STATION MODEL
CONTRIBUTION STATION MODEL
Sources, References, and Further Reading:
Dename, Kristi. Repetition Compulsion: Why Do We Repeat the Past? World of Psychology, PsychCentral.com June 29, 2013. November, 2013. <http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/06/29/repetition-compulsion-why-do-we-repeat-the-past/>
Russell, Cristel Antonia, Levy, Sidney J. The Temporal and Focal Dynamics of Volitional Reconsumption: A Phenomenological Investigation of Repeated Hedonic Experiences. Journal of Consumer Research. Vol. 39, No. 2 (August 2012), pp. 341-359
http://thedisneydrivenlife.com/the-confessional/
http://waltdisneyconfessions.tumblr.com/