As the first half of the semester comes to an end, I’ve started to notice a trend. Year after year, my viewing taste drastically changes as the semester unfolds. To claim that viewing is seasonal isn’t a crazy claim; it’s been said before — spring is for Pride and Prejudice and How I Met Your Mother; summer is for Mamma Mia and New Girl; fall is for Practical Magic and Gilmore Girls; and winter is for Normal People and Hallmark movies. But beyond the usual seasonal platter, how do my viewing tastes change circumstantially? What small changes in workload, algorithm and assigned screenings contribute the most to an interruption in my regularly scheduled programming?
Perhaps the most notable change is prevalent in my Letterboxd, where movies like Wet Hot American Summer get replaced with 1950s footage of the Soviet Union. What used to be hours of romantic comedies and psychological thrillers is now hours of political satire and psychopathology readings. Beyond what’s assigned lies a larger, looming threat in my altered state of viewing — entirely the opposite of whatever is assigned, whatever I can get my grubby dopamine-craving mind to watch in order to avoid getting my work done. You’ll get a better sense of what this specifically entails as I list them later in this article; however, I’m sure it doesn’t take much wondering to conclude that, yes, as a 20-year-old woman in the 21st century, I am addicted to social media and my phone. Though there have been many screen time limits set, I’m known to override them constantly. If it just so happens that I choose to respect the limit (which rarely happens), I’ll just opt for silly games with bright colors and annoying ads to get my fix of artificial joy.
The following is a categorical list of visual experiences I’ve had this semester thus far, split into: Assigned, Algorithmic and Obsolete.
Assigned
Good Bye, Lenin! (2003)
After sifting through multiple history classes in the first week of the semester, I finally landed on a fascinating seminar taught by Professor Sophie Pinkham, HIST 3012: “Remembering Socialism: Literature and Film After the End of History.” Among the first films assigned was Good Bye, Lenin!, a hilarious and extremely heartwarming story that follows Alex, whose devout Socialist mother falls into a coma after suffering a stroke, causing her to miss the fall of the Berlin Wall. When his mom awakens, Alex must rebuild the world around his mother so she can remain under the impression that East Berlin remains socialist to prevent great shock from threatening her health. Good Bye, Lenin! was an incredible, entertaining story that authentically demonstrates the transitional challenges of a unified Berlin.
HBO’s Chernobyl (2019)
Following my profound enjoyment of Good Bye, Lenin!, I found myself eager to watch more content from our syllabus. I got a bit ahead of myself and went ahead and watched HBO’s Chernobyl, which we aren’t required to watch until later in the semester. Prefaced by glowing reviews from my friends and peers as “one of the best shows ever made,” I’ve gotten through half of the show so far — having to pace myself due to the harrowing reality the show recreates.
Algorithm
Instagram Reels
You already knew this was coming. Everyone’s favorite vice, Instagram Reels, never fails to trap me in an endless sea of memes, short-form video essays and ASMR. While I’ve consistently tried to halt my consumption of reels, the appeal of sending a funny post to a friend, learning something new and listening to crunchy slime is simply too powerful. I am nothing if not a victim of the Instagram algorithm.
Block Blast
Not my proudest moment to be caught playing Block Blast in the back of my statistics lecture, yet here we are. The endless algorithmic system of multi-colored blocks stacked on top of each other perfectly stimulates the part of my brain that wishes to solve puzzles while still putting in minimal effort. If you’ve never played Block Blast before, consider this your warning: You will get addicted.
Perfumetok
As far as poor financial habits go, my collection of perfumes has got to be the worst financial burden I have willingly placed on myself. Consider yourself lucky if you’re yet to fall on the “Perfumetok” side of TikTok, where thousands of perfume influencers convince you you need four different kinds of vanilla scents — one for every season. Alas, as an indie darling softly whispers into her wired headphones how this “niche” scent will have people running down the street to ask you what you’re wearing, I’ll fall for it every time.
Obsolete
Roku City x Canvas homepage
I find myself sitting in front of my TV, sprawled out on the couch with my laptop open, with every intention of putting on a sitcom and getting some work done. For some strange reason, unbeknownst to me, all that ends up happening is the TV displaying Roku City and my untouched Canvas homepage … I wonder what that could be.
My Bookshelf Collecting Dust
Instead of reading the books on my bookshelf, I’d rather think about reading them and gradually watch them get sunbleached and dusty. What are books for if not for display?
"Are You Still Watching?” is a column spotlighting what the Cornell community has been streaming. It runs every Wednesday.
Paulina Delgado-Umpierre is a member of the Class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is a staff writer for the Arts & Culture department and can be reached at pdelgadoumpierre@cornellsun.com.
