Media Use

Fri 16th	When: 20 minutes What: Courier Mail Where: Home Why: Check on the election How: Hardcopy	When: 10 minutes What: Twitter Where: Home Why: Check flood inquiry progress How: Internet	When: 60 minutes What: Facebook Where: Home Why: Browsing, checking for updates How: Laptop
Sat 17th	When: 45 minutes What: Channel 9 news Where: Home Why: General Interest How: Television	When: 120 minutes What: Facebook Where: Home Why: Check on my friends How: Laptop
Sun 18th	When: 20 minutes What: Sunday Mail Where: Home Why: Read columns, general interest How: Hardcopy	When: 180 minutes What: Facebook Where: Home Why: Check on my friends How: Laptop
Mon 19th	When: 20 minutes What: Sydney Morning Herald Where: Home Why: General Interest How: Hardcopy	When:  150 minutes What: Facebook Where: Home Why: Check on my friends How: Laptop	When: 60 minutes What: Q&A Where: Home Why: Interest in Politics How: Television	When: 60 minutes What: Twitter Where: Home Why: Post into Q&A How: Laptop
Tues 20th	When: 30 minutes What: : Today Show Where: Home Why: Didn’t feel like reading the newspaper How: Television	When: 60 minutes What: Facebook Where: Home Why: Check on my friends How: Laptop	When: 45 minutes What: Channel 9 news Where: Home Why: General Interest How: Television
Wed 21st	When: 30 minutes What: : Today Show Where: Home Why: Didn’t feel like reading the newspaper How: Television	When: 60 minutes What: Facebook Where: Home Why: Check on my friends How: Laptop	When: 45 minutes What: Channel 9 news Where: Home Why: General Interest How: Television
Thurs 22nd	When: 20 minutes What: Sydney Morning Herald Where: Home Why: General Interest How: Hardcopy	When: 120 minutes What: Facebook Where: Home Why: Check on my friends How: Laptop	When: 45 minutes What: Channel 9 news Where: Home Why: General Interest How: Television
Fri 23rd	When: 30 minutes What: : Today Show Where: Home Why: Didn’t feel like reading the newspaper How: Television	When: 80 minutes What: Facebook Where: Home Why: Check on my friends How: Laptop
Sat 24th	When: 30 minutes What: Facebook Where: Home Why: Post about election How: Laptop	When: 15 minutes What: Courier Mail Where: Home Why: election Interest How: Hardcopy	When: 60 minutes What: Facebook Where: Home Why: Post about election How: Laptop	When: 45 minutes What: Channel 7 news Where: Home Why: General Interest How: Television	When: 180 minutes What: Channel 7 news Where: Election Party Why: Special Election coverage How: Television
Sun 25th	When: 20 minutes What: Sunday Mail Where: Home Why: Read columns, general interest, election outcomes How: Hardcopy	When: 45 minutes What: Channel 9 news Where: Home Why: General Interest How: Television	When: 60 minutes What: 60 minutes Where: Home Why: General Interest How: Television	When: 180 minutes What: Facebook Where: Home Why:  Check on my friends How: Laptop

Media Use Analysis

Introduction

Due to modern developments in technology, media can no longer be constrained to the limitations of ‘traditional media’ (Televisions, Newspapers, Radio etc.) Instead we are facing a new era where the majority of citizens, can access media anywhere anytime, from the bathroom to the bus. This means that the entire definition and conception of media as altered dramatically. My dossier aims to identify trends in my own media use and analyse similarities and differences in comparison to my peers.

 My Media Usage

The table below highlights how the majority of my time consuming media is ‘new media’ or social media aka Facebook. Although I spend a considerable amount of time on this mode of media I do not consider it my primary option to absorb information and news. Although my usage diary indicates that I spend most of my media time checking Facebook, my primary informer of current events is the newspaper, which I read nearly every morning.

Television	720 minutes
Newspaper	115 minutes
Facebook	1100 minutes
Twitter	70 minutes

Where, and how I access my media

The most prominent and consistent trend in my media use is that most of my media was accessed at home, which I attribute mainly to the fact that I don’t own a smart phone. Many smart phone possessors use; Twitter, ITunes, Facebook, Tumblr, YouTube, Instagram, eBay, Flickr and numerous other applications on a daily basis. ‘Strategy Analytics predict that 67% of teens consume media on the go, by way of smart phone’ ( Social Media Club, 2012)

This statement is correlated by graph A, which illustrates how the vast majority of the Journalism cohort, actively use a smart phone.

The other important detail to note about those people who actively use smart phones is that they have access to a constant stream of media. 20 years ago, many citizens were receiving one injection of news a day, by television, radio or newspaper. According to the social media club, The 67% of teens who are consuming their media on the go, are consuming it at an average of 5-7 times an hour ( Social Media Club, 2012) The increase in, easy-to-use, fast, effective and accessible social media, in the last few years has meant that much of the news we are receiving is ‘soft news’.

Inter-modal News

As new media is becoming the more popular mode of media consumption, more traditional forms of media are incorporating newer modes into their sphere. This collaboration of old and new media, allows for more active involvement and engagement in the news. An example of this was on Monday the 19^th. While I was watching Q&A, my role as a ‘viewer being informed’ shifter to a ‘viewer becoming engaged’, and offering opinion by contributing to twitter discussion, which is streamed live on the show. 

Conclusion

Expectantly this dossier has been successful in identifying, analyzing and explaining certain behaviors and trends that lie behind my own media use, and that of my peers.