Assessment 1 - Media Use & Production Diary

As part of the JOUR1111 Assessment 1, we were asked to keep a media use and production diary. The entire JOUR1111 cohort also took a survey identifying the kinds of media they use and produce. The following tables and analysis explain my findings:

 

My Total Media Usage and Production (values in minutes)

MEDIA USE & PRODUCTION DIARY ANALYSIS

As consumers, we are aware of the fact that media exists in our lives; however, the extent of media’s presence is somewhat undefined. I, for one, had no concept of the type of media I use and the time which I partitioned, specifically to consume media; that is, until I began noting a media use and production diary in JOUR1111.

After the ten day recording period, besides acknowledging that it would probably be a good idea to cut down the amount of time I spend watching television… I also learnt how, without realising it, media is a significant part of my everyday life (see Figure 1, my total media usage). The development of media over time is astonishing and after calculating the media which I use, as an individual; it is little wonder that there is pressure for the medium to constantly evolve.

Figure 1

 

During my analysis and comparisons, I have found patterns in my own recordings and similarities to information provided by my peers. Consistently, over the ten day period, I watched the nightly ‘Nine News’ to catch up on the events of the day. After averaging my total TV viewing time over the ten days, I was surprised to find that I watch an average of four hours of television each day. In comparison to the survey from my peers, the majority noted that they watch between one and two hours per day (see Figure 2). A pattern such as this suggests that, like 71.1% of my peers, I get the majority of my news from a television source. The time I spend watching television represents my relationship to Journalism and Communication as I enjoy keeping engaged in the media from local, national and international perspectives. The instantaneous nature of TV journalism is preferable for me, as often I am able to hear the news while getting ready in the mornings or having dinner. As for the communication aspect, I find myself interested in the visual communication utilized by TV news, through images and video footage, as it gives me a broader understanding and perception of the story which the reporters are aiming to convey. NB: In each of my graphs, I have rounded my peer’s usage to the maximum. For example, if the response was primarily 1-2 hours I would round up to two hours and display 120 minutes on my graph.

Figure 2

 

Compared to my time spent engaging in ‘old media’ such as television, I don’t spent as much time online. I only engage in an average of two hours per day on the internet, compared to the results of my peers who spend two to three hours (see Figure 3). The internet is an intriguing aspect of Journalism and Communication for me, as there are so many news sources available online; newspapers, online news sources and social networking (to name a few). While I did not read online news during the ten day recording period, I often like to check out these online news sources, to get a sense of how these communication news stories differ from the TV news which I regularly engage in. Much like tabloid news, TV news can often exaggerate or heighten claims about certain stories, whereas online news sources give a less drastic explanation. My internet patterns consist of significant social media usage, in particular Facebook. The instant communication platform allows me to connect with friends and stay up to date with news specifically related to my social circles and, often the outside world also. This pattern highlights my relationship to Journalism and Communication as I am able to communicate directly and instantly with friends while also being exposed to (in some cases) citizen journalism. In comparison to the results given by my peers, I am among 91.9%, who also admit to spending the majority of their hours online, on Facebook.  

Figure 3

Before creating my blog for JOUR1111, I had never produced a blog or blog post; much like 63% of my peers. However, over my ten days of recording, blog posts were the main form of media production which I engaged in (see Figure 4). I also sent emails and text messages; however, they did not occupy as much time as blogging did. This action further highlights my relationship to Journalism and Communication as blogging is a great way to communicate with specific audiences in a conversational way and is also a form of Journalism in itself.

Figure 4

Radio is another form of media which I used during my recording period. Similar to 53.9% of my peers I spent less than an hour a day (17 minutes, on average) listening to the radio (see Figure 5, I rounded my peers usage to 60 minutes). While I did not listen to it every day, my usage did still demonstrate patterns by way of the types of radio I listened to. For example, I listened to talk-back radio which I feel gives me an understanding of the public perception of news and how others view issues in comparison to the way I feel about certain news stories. My relationship to Journalism and Communication is further exemplified through my use of radio as it is yet another form of Journalism which is instant and features simplified new stories for easy listening. In relation to communication, radio allows me to hear how hosts communicate amongst themselves and the listeners and this offers a great opportunity to observe communication styles and techniques to use in my everyday life.

Figure 5

After analyzing each individual form of media, I decided to compile both old and new media forms in separate groups and distinguish which type I used more frequently over the ten day period. Old media included TV, radio and reading my textbook. New media included all internet and social networking data, as well as emails, phones, and IPod apps. Surprisingly, I found that I spend more of my time engaged in old media (see Figure 6 for comparison). However, as I do spend quite a bit of time engaging in news and current affairs on television, this explains the heightened usage.

Figure 6

 

While it was very interesting to evaluate the amount of media which I use and produce, I’ll be happy to watch TV and be on Facebook, guilt-free again!