Virtue Mirroring
Coined by Olurinatti in her video How "This Didn't Age Well" Destroyed Media Literacy, Virtue Mirroring has become a prevalent issue across countless digital and irl spaces, if you asked me!
It's a rabbit hole I've found myself slipping into when I'm more concerned about the things that I'm watching, reading, playing, and how they supposedly ""accurately match up"" with my own personal beliefs.
I'm thankful that nowadays I'm much more concerned with maintaining a critical lens for the things I'm viewing! I can decide to put something down if I truly just don't like it, but I can also choose to take in something fully, sit with it, and pick out what things I did and didn't like from it. I can also take some comfort in sharing my opinions with people in-person, where it's easier for folks to grasp and accept nuanced opinions.
It's unfortunate then when it feels like there are still so many people caught in the trap of Virtue Mirroring, believing that what they're really partaking in is an offshoot of ethical consumerism. It reminds me of a different idea posited in a completely different video!
Here from about a minute in, to almost two minutes in, feels like a near 1:1 for how it's felt to come to terms with how restrictive media consumption worsens the vibes of your life, and imo, just isn't healthy. It's not nearly as "serious" as battling eating disorders and trying to fix negative relationships around food, but... I mean, they don't really call it media consumption for nothing, right?
So with this in mind - much like veganism, or offshoots thereof - media analysis isn't an all or nothing practice, and it certainly doesn't mean to abstain from everything potentially problematic forever and ever. Of course not! It's being mindful about the things you enjoy, and knowing when to exercise your critical thinking skills. You can make the active choice to eat less meats!
Figure out for yourself what's content slop, what's propoganda, what's a complicated story with shades of grey, what's something intended as light fun that might have some real issues? What is and what isn't for you? Should it be for you? Do you want to keep watching, reading, playing? Is your comfort zone simply being pushed, or are you coming up on some seriously vile messages?
Hopefully questions like these can help you better shape and understand your own tastes and beliefs!