Media Use Diary

I recorded my media usage and production over the course of 10 days. This is what happened...

Below lies my 'raw' sample data. It shows the times I used it, the type of media (platform), what specific programs I used, and how I accessed it. (I should also mention that the times are just approximate)

           And even more raw data...

Now that's out of the way, here's some summary tables and graphs:

I pretty much represent the ‘typical’ JOUR1111 student, as a 17-18 year old female domestic student studying B Journalism/B Arts; and yet my media usage often strays from the norm. On most days (excluding weekends, and busy days) I would watch more TV (2-3 hours) than most who watch 1-2 hours. I also listen to more radio, about an hour a day, compared to most (less than an hour). Out of the new media that I consume online, the one I spend the least amount of time on is Social Networking (sites like Facebook), which is what most JOUR1111 students spend the majority of their time online on. I even spend more time downloading and listening to podcasts (me, and 24 other people) than I do on Facebook. But why is there this difference?

Looking through the different new media programs I consume, particularly those from new media sources, are composed of foreign (mostly British) content. Which, without new media and the Internet I wouldn’t have access to. Most of it is entertainment based, with the occasional ‘newsertainment’ program like 10 O’clock Live. Is my international media consumption a result of the globalisation of media (the idea that content is universal, appealing to wider audiences regardless of where it is produced), or is simply the result of my fixation on all things British? (Probably a mixture of both.)

What I do have in common with the majority of JOUR1111 is the way we consume media; how we access media. I too get most of my news from television and online, and listen to radio mostly in the car. The majority of my media consumption is done through my computer, even though I have a smart phone (like the majority of JOUR1111) I only find it useful for briefly checking Social Networking sites. I find its greatest feature is also its downfall; the compact, portable nature doesn’t allow for me to really enjoy more time consuming things like watching videos. The fact that I use my computer the most to access media also correlates to my larger use of new media over old media, but not by much, 38.5 to 30 hours.

But I believe that this figure would be almost 50/50 if it wasn’t for media convergence. The fact that I can stream television shows online if I miss them during their airtime (which I do a lot) definitely increases my new media usage. However, in regards to media convergence, this is about the only aspect I use. I don’t watch bonus clips online, read associated blogs, or tweet with the trending hash tags.

The issue of commercial verses public service broadcasting; in total hours, I, without a doubt, consume more commercial broadcasting. However, in terms of radio verses television, I listen to Triple J more than the other commercial stations combined. Also, my main source of news is ABC News online, which I consciously chose because of its reputation and credibility as a journalistic news source.

What my media use tells me about my relationship with journalism and communication…well, it needs a lot of work. The ‘old’ media I consume is far more entertainment focused, than the ‘new’ media, which I actively go looking for. Even then, there is definitely more tabloid journalism than investigative. My media production currently only exists in a pretty neglected blog, which definitely gives me room to grow over this course, and over the duration of my journalism career (no matter how short it may be).