I tracked all my the media consumption on Aug 28, 2025.
7AM: After waking up, I check my emails and watch the news on CBS Mornings where my favorite news anchor, Gayle King, is on. I was saddened to hear about the shooting in Minneapolis church.
Read subscribed news latter from Bloomberg Morning Brief. Checked Weather.
9AM: While going to my office, I listened WSJ Morning Brief and NPR Podcast.
10AM: I start working and opened my computer to the Yahoo News USA (usually Yahoo Japan) homepage. Scrolling down, a photo caught my eye.
Questionable Content #1
The headline says “Amazon’s Worst Nightmare: Shoppers Are Canceling Prime For This Clever Hack”. The image captured the chaotic warehouse, showing countless packages are damaged or torn open. Employees are trying to manage situation.
This article claimed that people are canceling Amazon Price because free browser extension is helping them to find “amazing deals” and “hidden deals” on the same products. After a closer look, I realized the browser which the author is writing about is run by credit card company, and a Google revealed that the author, “Bargain Shopper Extraordinaire Olivia James” didn’t exist, fake. It was just an ad placed between article, and I found same image of warehouse in an unrelated post by someone named Juan Lacey on LinkedIn.
Questionable Content #2
3PM: After work, I was on TikTok and I came across a post in which the women claimed to have lost her weight using apple cider vinegar gummies. She showed off now-too-big-jeans. and a jar of product. I realized it has a product link.
It was a clearly commercial which has no scientific evidence provided. So I googled it, and found a BBC video “Does apple cider vinegar really help with weight loss?”. According to video, the claims stemmed from a new study released last year, the video says recent studies were conducted on mostly over weight people and obese individuals and that the exact mechanism how apple cider works is not fully understood. Although it potentially has a weight loss benefit for type2 diabetes, the BBC article emphasized more study needed. It warned viewers to consult healthcare professionals and cautioned that it could cause digestive discomfort and worsen existing digestive issues.
5PM: While preparing dinner, I watched animated K-Pop movie clip video on YouTube that my kids were watching. K-Pop Demon is becoming a phenomenon far beyond just kids as I read ab article “The Overlooked Element to the ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Phenomenon” on NY Times during my work.
Reflection
Looking back my Media log, I have realized that most of the questionable post are related to advertisement. Content that are not clearly understood or proven seems to be especially popular on social media. Since my work is as a researcher, I primarily read from reliable websites and established news media. When quoting of politicians or public figures, I have made it a habit to check if the social media posts are from their verified, official accounts. The source is very important to me, I trust these outlets to present facts and I find their content more interesting. My log confirms that the most questionable content I encounter is on social media and in ads.
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