Words: 1296
Department of Media and Communication Studies. Lecturer: Dr. Tony Langlois. Student: Eddie Enright Student ID: 0665592 Assignment Title: Media Diary. Words: 1200. 1. Introduction. The main purpose of keeping this Diary was to collect information (Data) about my own use of the Media in the given two week period. I found this survey rather interesting because up until now I did not realise that I use the media so much and so the findings were a revelation to me. In the course of the survey I further realised that my consumption must be very average for me because I did not alter any patterns during the survey. pic] 2. My ‘Average’ Media Day. I carried out my survey from Tuesday 1st November 2011 to Monday 14th November 2011 and in this time I monitored my own use of Media output. All data was gathered by means of a Diary application on my phone. I spent an average of nine hours per day exposed to the media. My average day begins with a radio alarm clock playing ‘Spin FM’ and I also carry an iPod with some of my favourite tracks. I spend most of my weekday at college where there is little media exposure with the exception of the computer lab where I usually spend about an hour a day.
I return home most evenings and watch TV as I study and read and I also browse the internet at night. 3. Phone Use. I spend an average of 23 minutes per day on the phone. (Not including text messages). As my phone is a ‘Pay As You Go Phone’ I restrict its use, for financial reasons, to incoming calls only. When I do have Credit I tend to use it fairly quickly so I try not to use it for any other reason. I do not use it for the internet and it is primarily a device for the convenience of family members (mostly parents) to keep in touch with me.
As my text messages are free I rely mostly on these to keep in contact with friends. 4. Internet Use. Most of my media day was spent on the internet which I use to check E-Mail, interact on Facebook and browse various websites for private and educational purposes. I use the Computer Laboratory at MIC for about an hour each day but I do most of my surfing at home by night using broadband. I find I only use a few websites such as Google, RTE for News, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and some Music sites too. I use E-mail and MSN Messenger to communicate with friends and relatives living abroad.
This is most useful these days because I have many contacts now living in foreign countries and this allows me to keep in touch with them. 5. Television. Television is more of a background media for me. I am most attracted to Music TV stations such as MTV, VH1, Smash Hits and other such channels. I also enjoy some soap operas such as Eastenders, Coronation Street and Fair City. The survey showed me that I am a creature of habit when it comes to watching TV. I only watch Music, News and Soap Operas and have little interest in any other form of programming.
However, it is interesting to note that the timing of some of my favourite shows does influence me in that I usually try to aim to keep these hours free so, indirectly, I am influenced by the media as to my whereabouts from 7pm to around 9pm each evening. 6. DVD. I usually watch one movie per day on DVD. My interest includes Horror, Drama and Action movies. I am a member of a local DVD club and usually hire a movie to watch late at night before I go to bed. I rarely watch Movies alone and may have some friends around to watch a DVD over the weekend.
We usually discuss the movie after we watch but there is the occasional comment on acting, scene or scenario as the film progresses. I enjoy talking about movies after I watch them to hear what other people think about them. I usually select the movie we watch. 7. Radio. I usually listen to the day for around thirty minutes in the morning when I wake up and again last thing at night before I go to sleep. I only use radio as a source of music and rarely listen to non-music stations such as RTE 1, Newstalk or any other talk station.
My first choice is SPIN FM because I enjoy contemporary music most of all. As can be seen from the survey I can enjoy Music from a number of different media including Television, Radio, CD and Internet (sites such as Youtube and Vevo offer Music Videos to watch for free. 8. Reading. I spent a lot of the time in the course of my day reading. I rarely read Novels and at the moment most of my reading is in some way related to my studies. I also buy a daily newspaper to read the main stories of the day. I also do quite a bit of reading on the Internet.
I visit many news sites such as RTE, BBC (for News) and other sites of interest such as MIC Library Databases, Sites related to courses and I also get a lot of interesting information in Wikipedia. I would describe my reading habits as average for a student. 9. Passive. Up until I did this survey I would have thought that I was no more exposed to Passive Consumption than the average person. However, as the survey progressed I realised that I engage in many conversations in relation to media issues. The latest Movie, the latest instalment of a TV show such as X Factor, Soap Operas or news events.
I also realised that while at College I am exposed to media at Lectures, in casual conversations, randomly placed advertising in canteen, shops and corridors. I now realise that I am exposed to the media for practically every waking hour. 10. Two Day Survey. [pic] In the course of the two-day survey which I conducted over one weekend ((5th and 6th November) I found that my patterns changed. I tended to spend the same time on the phone but less on the internet and more on TV. I usually go home for the weekend and there is no Broadband available there so naturally my usage slows down.
Interestingly, because my parents play the radio a lot at home I tend to hear more of it but not so much of what I enjoy which is why I included this as ‘Passive’. I tend to get a little more reading done over the weekend than I do on Weekdays. 11. Conclusion. [pic] Until I conducted this survey I never realised that I am exposed so much to the Media. I consume an average of 500 Minutes per day and as my average day is sixteen hours long this means that 50% or so of my day I am interacting in one way or another with the Media.
This revelation surprises me and made this miniature non-scientific exercise very valuable. With the arrival of Computers, Internet, Telephone Mobility and Multi-Channel TV I find that my exposure and use of Media I greater in the city than in the County where I stay over the weekend. When I go home on Friday I suffer a mild form of ‘withdrawal’ from the Media which has become a major part of my life during weekdays. Going home is a bit like stepping back in time and leads me to the conclusion that city dwellers are more exposed to Media than rural dwellers.