Blog #3: Generative Research

CLOSE TO YOU

What I cant live without

Family – Growing up, my mom would drive us the 8 hours from Tucson to San Diego as many times as the year would allow to visit the rest of our extended family. Family was always number one. My cousins and I, all very close in age, spent countless holidays and summers together, shaping us into the closest of friends. The unit of four in just my immediate family has also been my foundation and rock for everything in my life and they are of paramount importance to me.

Music – This may seem like it belongs in the “what I care about” category, but music plays a role in my every day life. If I could have music playing all day during every activity I did, I would. I appreciate all genres of music and use it to lift me up and keep me company. I also love to dance, which kind of goes hand in hand.

Freedom – Since this has always been a right of our generation, I think we take it for granted. But wow freedom is such an exceptional thing to possess. You are in control of your own destiny and you have the right to act as you choose and express yourself freely.  There is no doubt that freedom is something I could not live without. 

What I care about

The Beach – I didn’t grow up near a beach. I’ve never lived anywhere that even had a beach. But I have been fortunate to spend enough summers along the California coast to fall in love with the ocean. I’m a Pisces, so a fish at heart. And I grew up as a swimmer, so I think the beach and I were destine for each other.

My Education – As I pursue my masters degree, I am reminded how much my education means to me. To have the opportunity to better myself and study a subject that fascinates me is something that I deeply care about. Higher education is a privilege that I would never want to take for granted.

The Golden Rule – Not everyone has the same definition for this, but the one I use is “Treat others the way you want to be treated.” This was also something that I learned from my parents, both of who live their lives with this constantly in their minds. Since I was lucky enough to be raised by such honorable role models, this is something I have adopted into my life as a rule of thumb in all of my exposure to others, particularly those that test your patience. 

DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM

Aggregate news websites – My homepage for all of my browsers, both at home and at work is The Daily Beast. This new site pulls all the top news stories from other sources to create daily “Cheat Sheets.” These list feature about 10 pertinent happenings with a one-paragraph synopsis of the story for the readers to quickly skim for the information. This site is my particular favorite because it is an easy way to stay informed quickly and efficiently.

Local and national broadcast radio – I may be one of the only Millennials to still listen to the radio. The primary reason behind this is that my car stereo is broken so it’s my only choice. But it has become a bit of a habit for me to listen to NPR every morning on my way to school, work, or wherever. Like the aggregate new sites, the program also does a nice job of providing the important news quickly and efficiently but not in too much detail for me to lose interest.

Twitter – I may also be one of the only people that found out who won the presidential election via Twitter. Don’t get me wrong, I was watching the news which was broadcasting the election, but I did officially learn the results via Twitter the app. Twitter again appeals to me for the same reasons: quickness and efficiency. On Twitter – in fewer than 140 characters – you can pick and choose which stories you want to read and which you want to skip, making it easy to personalize your news experience. 

TYPICAL WEEKDAY

The “mornfernoon” – This is part of my day has become so routine that the morning has begun to mesh with the afternoon for an 8-hour block of activity. This section of my day is not as full of consuming the content listed above because most of the time I’m either working or attending class. The very beginning of my day is the most concentrated with news, traffic, weather and the web because I am traveling (and obviously listing to the radio – see my digital ecosystem).

“Me” time – After my block of non-stop work and school, I typically take a couple of hours to relax. I will watch TV, waste time on the Internet, catch up with my email and my To-Do list. This is a content heavy time as I am constantly surfing the web, while simultaneously watching television and sometimes even one other activity gets thrown in there.

“Crunch” time – I start feeling a little guilty and lazy after about a few hours of relaxation time and begin to pick my pace back up. I will get some exercise, cook something for dinner, and do my homework and readings for the week. I will take little breaks for TV, but typically stay on task until it is time to hit the hay. I will usually do some light reading before bed. Sometimes a book, sometimes a fashion magazine and sometimes a newspaper I subscribe to, so this third period of my day is also heavy in accessing information.