The Main Characters

If someone mapped out my day in digital media, it would probably look like one of those subway maps where every line intersects at “communicating,” “buying something I may or may not need,” and “accidentally staring into the void for too long.” The sites and apps I use most often are Discord, WhatsApp, Kindle, Tidal, Amazon, Walmart, and occasionally Instagram.

Discord and WhatsApp are the main ones I use to keep up with friends, send messages, and stay in the loop without needing to perform for the public like a dancing court jester. Kindle is where I go when I want my brain to have a better hobby than staring at notifications, and Tidal is a regular part of my day because music is basically emotional support wallpaper. Amazon and Walmart are my usual shopping apps, which means they are both useful and a little too good at knowing when I suddenly decide I need one oddly specific item at 11:40 p.m. Instagram is the outlier because I do not really post, like, or comment, but I will scroll sometimes, usually the way one wanders into a room and then forgets why they are there.

A lot of this lines up with what we have learned about digital media being built around communication, content, and convenience, since these platforms all make it easier to connect, consume, or purchase with almost no friction (Zahay et al., 2023).

Tiny Hits of Joy, Tiny Hits of Doom

My reactions to digital media really depend on what I am using it for, because some apps feel like a nice conversation and others feel like getting pickpocketed by my own attention span. When I use Discord or WhatsApp to talk to friends, I usually have a positive reaction because those apps help me stay connected in a way that feels personal and real.

Kindle is also a positive space for me because reading feels slower, calmer, and less chaotic than most digital experiences, like my brain finally got escorted out of a nightclub and handed a glass of water. Tidal is positive for similar reasons because music can shift my mood, help me focus, or just make daily life feel less like a hostage situation.

Instagram is different. Even though I only scroll occasionally, it usually gives me that weird short-term dopamine hit that keeps me there longer than I meant to stay, but the long-term effect is more draining than enjoyable. That reaction connects a lot to the Big Think video about branding and consumer behavior, which explains that digital and brand cues can shape our emotions and behavior in ways we do not fully notice in the moment (Big Think, 2021). It also connects to the course resources on personal branding and blogging because digital spaces are designed to hold attention, create emotional response, and keep people engaged, which is great when the content is meaningful and a little cursed when it is just endless scrolling (ProsperPath, 2024; Derykot, 2026).

Modern Marketing Is a Sneaky Lil Guy

What I notice most about digital media in marketing today is that it is everywhere, but it works best when it does not feel like marketing at all. Brands are no longer just selling products, they are trying to sell a feeling, a lifestyle, a personality, and occasionally a whole identity crisis wrapped in aesthetic lighting. A lot of marketing today blends into content so smoothly that the line between “this is useful” and “this is trying to sell me something” gets real blurry, real fast.

That idea shows up in the blogging resources, especially in the discussion of how companies use blogs to build trust, answer questions, and promote products in subtle ways rather than just throwing ads at people like confetti from a T-shirt cannon (Derykot, 2026). I also notice that consistency matters a lot. Whether it is a person building a personal brand or a company shaping its image, digital media rewards people who know how they want to come across and stick to it (ProsperPath, 2024).

At the same time, I think digital marketing today may have an impact on people’s attention and emotions because so much of it is built to keep us engaged for as long as possible. Some of that can be helpful, especially when content is useful or genuinely connects people, but some of it absolutely feels like a casino designed by psychologists with Wi-Fi. So my day in digital media is mostly a mix of communication, entertainment, reading, shopping, and trying not to get spiritually flattened by the scroll.

References

Big Think. (2021, July 27). How Apple and Nike have branded your brain | Your brain on money [Video]. YouTube.

Derykot, Y. (2026, January 28). 10 ways businesses use blogging as a marketing tool. Wordable.

ProsperPath. (2024, October 7). The power of personal branding in the digital age: How to stand out in a crowded market. LinkedIn.

Zahay, D., Roberts, M. L., Parker, J., Barker, D. I., & Barker, M. S. (2023). Social media marketing: A strategic approach. Cengage.