jour1111 personal media use diary

8/2/2019 JOUR1111 Personal Media Use Diary

1/17

A unique ten day investigation into my habits as a media consumer.

Grace Wilson, Student # 42904685

With the guidance of Carmel Rooney & Bruce Redman as part of JOUR1111


2/17

The purpose of this assignment was to conduct a personal media use log on

a daily basis for the duration of ten days.

From the data collected, I can analyse my usage in comparison with mypeers and attempt to evaluate what drives this behaviour - do I value one

medium above all the rest? What are my primary motivations or purposes

when using media? What does this say about my relationship with

journalism and communication?

All these questions (and more) will be addressed in the following report.


3/17

It can be discerned from the results of the JOUR1111 course survey that interms of my age, gender and residential status, I conform with the majority.Being an 18 year old female domestic student, puts me in a privilegedposition to comment.

51.1% of my peers are between 17 and 18 years of age. 75.7% of my peers are female.

93.8% of my peers are living and studying in Australia.

I am part of a lesser proportion of students (9.9%) studying a Bachelor ofJournalism and Communication dual degree.

It should be noted that the data in the following table is representedaccording to hourly increments.


4/17

Media ONLINE TELEVISION RADIO PRINT

PURPOSE Work Social News Entertainment AM FM Newspaper Magazine

Sunday 11/03 3 3 1 2 0 0.5 0.5 1

Monday 12/03 2 3 1 0.5 0 1 0 0

Tuesday 13/03 1 2 1 2 0 1.5 0 0

Wednesday 14/03 2 3 1 0 0 0.5 0 0

Thursday 15/03 1 1 1 1 0 0.5 0 0

Friday 16/03 2 2 0 3 0 1 0 0

Saturday 17/03 3 2 0.5 2 0 0.5 0.5 1

Sunday 18/03 4 2.5 1.5 2 0 0 0 0

Monday 19/03 2 3 1 0 0 1.5 0 0

Tuesday 20/03 1 2 0 1.5 0 2 0 0


5/17

Online

43%

Television

37%

Radio

15%

Print

5%

The percentages used in the above graph were obtained by dividing () the

total amount of time spent per media source by my 10 day media usage total

of 60 hours and multiplying (x) that number by 100.


6/17

Over the course of 10 days the majority of my media consumption was

online. This came as no surprise, with everything now available at ourfingertips in terms of work (i.e. general research, blogging, email) and socialinteraction (i.e. Facebook). The data for both columns in the previous tablecan be considered inclusive. Meaning, I will have Facebook chat running ina minimised window, irrespective of my intention to log on.

My internet usage per day can depend on how much homework I have due. Ispend an average of 2.1 hours (2 hours and 6 minutes) per day online forwork related purposes. The use of this medium is driven by the conveniencefactor. To have access to unlimited databases and academic journalsspecialising in any number of topics enables me to visit a virtual library fromhome and scan information with greater efficiency.

In terms of online news, Nine MSN is my browser home page and despitenot being renowned for its credibility, it often features breaking headlinesand entertainment stories. If something interests me, I will peruse it furtherthrough more reputable online sources saved in my favourites (SBS WorldNews Online or the Huffington Post, etc.).


7/17

Like 91.9% of my peers, I primarilyuse the internet for Facebook, as a

platform to interact with my friendsand family from interstate. It allowsme to view their profiles, send themprivate messages or post on theirwalls publicly. I only have oneFacebook account, which is

consistent with 94.7% of my cohort.

It is interesting to note that only2.8% of the 436 students whoresponded to the survey do not havean active account. This shows the

extent Facebook has permeatedmodern lifethat it is almost a prerequisite for normal socialfunctioning.


8/17

I have a relatively discrete profile with high security settings, so my

information is only visible to friends (it should be noted, I use the term

friends loosely as it extends to school acquaintances and those occasional

friend-of-a-friend recognisable faces that you feel obliged to accept

requests from). I never update anything overly personal like my phone

number or relationship status to the site. It is used solely as a mechanism to

communicate with others, and because of this I use it on average for 2.35

hours (2 hours 21 minutes) per day.

A fear of missing out and need to be connected is what drives this (verging

on obsessive) online behaviour. For instance, if there has been a recent

social event where pictures may be posted throughout the day, I will be

more likely to check Facebook frequently.


9/17

Positive Facebook rapport in the form of likes and the instant gratification

of comments on our photos, boost self-esteem as online users and

encourage us to post again. This desire to share what we are doing and who

we are doing it with has led to the predominance of other social media

platforms.

Before enrolling in JOUR1111 I was part of the 63% and 70.8% of people,

respectively, who didnt have existing blogs or Twitter accounts. Now these

outlets contribute to my time online, though not as extensively. My blog is

maintained for university purposes, including lecture summaries. I still only

have a basic understanding of all its features, although I have come to quite

enjoy sharing my thoughts and social commentary via the blogosphere. As

for Twitter, I have only Tweeted once in an attempt to be ironic... (I will

never get Twitter Grace Wilson, 2012 #famouslastwords).

My average overall online usage per day is 2.6 hours (2 hours 36 minutes)per day which is consistent with the majority of my peers who use it

between 2 and 3 hours. However, the fact that I do not have an internet

enabled smart phone (unlike 77.3% of my course with their varying brands)

means my access to these sites is undoubtedly limited, and I must spend

more time on the computer.


10/17


11/17

I also do not watch any TV series online, as an employee of the

Blockbuster franchise and purely against the principle of it. This would

contribute to how long I spent in front of the television and be comparable

to others streaming and download habits.

On average, I watch 0.8 hours (48 minutes) of news for every 1.4 hours (1

hour 24 minutes) of leisure programming. What lies behind this behaviour

is a need to be informed about national and international events. We

identify with news readers as the trustworthy conveyors of issues that

matter to us. Often watching the news will consolidate the background of astory I may have heard during the day. This is a consistent finding with

71.1% of people whose primary source of news comes from the TV.

As for the time devoted to leisure viewing, I think its important to have a

break and a laugh (for your endorphins sake!). I also have the benefit of

free rentals from work and do take advantage of that for a broad range of

viewing to suit my mood. Often, we develop an interest in a particular

series and if were able to, will tune in every week for the next instalment. I

exhibit this behaviour, borne of a need to know what-happens-next and to

an extent, understand pop cultural references.


12/17

My radio usage is dependent on how long I willspend in a car on any given day. That is one of

the benefits of radio, being able to multi-task

while also being educated and/or entertained.

On average I listen to 0.9 hours (54 minutes)per day. This is consistent with the majority of

my cohort who spend less than an hour doing

so too.

I am part of the 42.8% of my peers who listen

to music primarily through this medium.

I am also part of the 39.1% who are informed

through it as a daily source of news headlines.


13/17

I rarely listen to AM stations unless travelling with my parents. Triple j is

my preference for a balance of topical banter and Australian music. In the

mornings I listen to the comic duo Tom & Alex interview artists, feature

celebrity guests and make astute social asides. When I drive home later, I

often get the benefit of Tom Tilleys Hack program, which is done in an

edgy investigative journalism style. Otherwise I will tune in sporadically

throughout the day as I make trips in the car.

Comparatively, I spend less time using this medium on a daily basis, yet I

value it highly as an engaging platform to facilitate conversation. We have

the ability to contribute and even request songs by calling or texting in,

which I have done on occasions before. The presenters are hip, personable

and technology savvy. One day, I aspire to work in the industry, but fornow gaining experience through JACradio at university will suffice.

I have never listened to a podcast beforeits more about fortuitous timing

for me, nor do I own a digital radio, but I acknowledge this will be the way

of the future.


14/17

Print as a medium is largely neglected by

my lifestyle. Having to pay for anewspaper is not the issue for me, rather,

it is the convenience factor that strikes

again. Forgetting to pick one up while I

am at the shops is a common occurrence.

The web has adapted to fill this void,and has meant news stories can be

conveyed more time-efficiently, although

not as in-depth.

My family tends to buy newspapers only on the weekend, and if so, I will skim

it for articles of interest. We get the Courier Mail and the Australian for theirmicro- and macrocosmic perspectives according to state and federal

importance. However, Im not afraid to admit, I do spend more time reading

the pull-outs like QWeekender and Review. These are the lifestyle magazines

that contain human interest stories and the latest cultural buzz on books,

music, films and exhibitions.


15/17

New Media

43%Old Media

57%

Old or traditional media entails all television, radio and print sources. This

explains why cumulatively I appear to spend more time using it, compared to

my online usage as the only instance of new media.


16/17

Its interesting to note the cyclical nature of technology means that what

we consider to be new and advanced now, will inevitably become old

media. While intuitively we bear the association between old media and

being outdated, this isnt necessarily true. It still has immense value in

terms of authoritative news and as a source of entertainment.

New media has the edge in terms of its ability to personalise online and

share our experiences. Whereas before we were being fed the news, now

we can create and interact with our news as well as perform any other

number of other tasks online. The concern amongst academics that therise of citizen journalism via Twitter and blogs is perpetuating unverified

and potentially inaccurate news is unwarranted. New media is about

freedom of expression and having access to a variety of perspectives.

These sites are only likely to increase in popularityand I havent even

begun to get my head around Tumblr, Pinterest or Instagram...


17/17

This ten day investigation has revealed:

I rely heavily on online media to complete homework and socialise with

friends, which comes as no surprise to anyone of my generation.

I watch a considerable amount of television with the dual intentions of

being informed about current affairs on channels like SBS and having a

mental break by following certain sitcoms.

I listen to the radio when I commute to and from work or university. I

like its conversational tone and will almost always pick up interesting

anecdotes and new music from my drive.

I am not dependent on newspapers, however I do value theircontribution as analytical mass media, and try to read the weekend

issues.

jour1111 personal media use diary

Documents