attention habitat
1.0
personal
ethnography
Attention Habitat is the research synthesis of my media consumption habits and tracking of my book, movie, and tv show intake. This first edition is the summation of the years 2023, 2024, and 2025. Well before the design for the physical flipbook began, I consolidated my datapoints through the software application Obsidian, which is known for its unique graph views. From there, I conversationally programmed my vault through three separate platforms in order to host this project’s dedicated website, complete with custom QR code. After designing, printing, and digitizing the physical version, the entire flipbook is finally viewable for free on the Internet Archive!
After three years of leisurely logging various media consumption data, this project has given me creative fulfillment, intellectual stimulation, and new computer skills! Though I plan for Attention Habitat to be a series I revisit every three years, it is but one branch of a larger collection of planned Personal Ethnography projects. As 2.0 is well underway, my drive remains to categorize and consolidate my personal metadata from the more obscure areas of life.
For even more information on this project click here.
Three years ago I began tracking the titles from movies, tv shows, and books I watched/read throughout the year. Sometime in 2025 I realized I averaged about 45 pieces of media consumed each year. I began wondering how these pieces of media were connected to each other and if I could statistically represent my great taste.
The graphs in Obsidian allowed me see the interconnectedness of my datapoints. My end goal was to create a detailed breakdown of these connections in a physical publication with a printed QR code linking to the original, interactive Obsidian vault. This goal led me to a vibe-coding process that spanned four incredibly focused weeks, and I must say it was totally worth it.
The navigation systems differ between the physical book and vault site. They are outlined as follows:
THE VAULT:
An item of consumed media (book, movie, tv show) enters the vault under the TITLE tab and gets sub-tabbed according to the year consumed. Additionally, each item can be classified according to six additional pieces of criteria: type, genre, sub-genre, keyword, year released, and origin. These criterion make up the navigation system under the TAG tab. Aside from these two ways of navigating the data, the search bar can also be used as a tool for focused guidance as well as free discovery.
THE BOOK:
The process of designing the layout for this personal resource came from the practical ways in which I would reference the information inside. The LEGEND details the shorthand system in which an item’s criteria is analogously tagged. The INDEX helps wayfind each title within each year’s taxonomy and displays numerical data for each of the six sections. The TAXONOMIES consolidate the criteria for each item within the year consumed. The EXCURSUS appends the project with discussion and visual representation of the gathered data.
An item of consumed media (book, movie, tv show) enters the vault under the TITLE tab and gets sub-tabbed according to the year consumed. Additionally, each item can be classified according to six additional pieces of criteria: type, genre, sub-genre, keyword, year released, and origin. These criterion make up the navigation system under the TAG tab. Aside from these two ways of navigating the data, the search bar can also be used as a tool for focused guidance as well as free discovery.
THE BOOK:
The process of designing the layout for this personal resource came from the practical ways in which I would reference the information inside. The LEGEND details the shorthand system in which an item’s criteria is analogously tagged. The INDEX helps wayfind each title within each year’s taxonomy and displays numerical data for each of the six sections. The TAXONOMIES consolidate the criteria for each item within the year consumed. The EXCURSUS appends the project with discussion and visual representation of the gathered data.