My media use diary

Journalism has recently turned to 'instant' news and the idea that anyone can produce media, and this was reflective in my recent media use log through my use of twitter, Facebook and blogging. I chose to record my media use in fifteen minute blocks, and sorted into ten different categories.

The first main category was internet use, which was categorised into four sections: Facebook, twitter, blogging and other. On average I used the internet about one and a half hours a day (lower than anticipated, see graph two).

I fall into the 94.7% of the cohort with one Facebook account, and spent on average just over half hour a day. Over the ten days, I only updated my status once, which shows that I don't use Facebook as much for producing media but rather to pass time while in public waiting for a bus or to meet a friend. Although I didn't use Facebook as a platform for producing media, I do have a blog that I spend on average half an hour a day researching for and updating. It wasn't surprising that half of the cohort did not have a blog as the idea of creating your own content is relatively new. Almost all of my blogging was done at home. Another media platform that I used 'on the run' was Twitter, and over the ten days I tweeted seven times. Four of these were through my new Journalism twitter account, and the other three on my pre-existing twitter account. I was surprised that before starting this course 67% of the cohort did not have a twitter account.

Like about twenty percent of my cohort, I own a smart phone which enabled me to check Facebook and twitter on the run. I also use it all throughout the day to send and receive on average 50 text messages, most of which were for general socialising. However I did find that I used texting every couple of days to spread interesting news articles to my contacts. The fact that we used so much electronic media, reflected by a fifth of the cohort who own a smart phone, shows how journalism has had to adapt to provide 'news in your pocket', making it relevant, fast and accessible everywhere.

Like a third of my cohort I spend 1-2 hours a day on average watching television. This was all done at home and includes general entertainment and news (see graph 3). When it came to radio I spend on average half an hour listening to it a day, which was mostly done driving. In this way my news intake was similar no matter what platform I was receiving it from; television news in the morning getting ready for work, radio news in the car and online news in my work breaks or on the bus. I didn't pick up a newspaper at all in the ten days, and almost all of my traditional media use was for study, with perhaps ten percent of it being reading a magazine. This point concludes the idea that journalism needs to continue to adapt to provide news quickly and concisely, as a large amount of the younger generation are turning to instant media.

Week 5 lecture - radio

I personally found it difficult to feel engaged in this week's lecture, probably because I am mainly a visual learner. However I do appreciate the fact that they used the podcast as the relevant medium for this week's lecture.

The speaker described radio as a more intimate medium than television, which you watch and control from a distance. He went on to explain that with radio you are often multitasking while listening to it, so the radio seems to come from inside your head, as if it is your own thoughts. That is why it is important for radio speakers to make the listener feel included in the conversation.

Other points that were told were important in radio presented were to give the guest space to talk and explain themselves, and not to bombard them with questions.

One of my favourite radio stations to listen to is Triple J, especially when they have their ask science questions segment. You get to hear and learn about a whole lot random science facts in a whole lot of fields and it is really interesting. However there are a whole lot of people who would find that extremely boring to listen to, which I think is why digital radio is such a huge thing. With so many different channels radio is becoming personalised. Tailored to the individual. Like a lot of media.

Radio is a lot about keeping connected to the outside world. It is a type of media that we are (legally) able to take part in while driving. Other points I found interesting was when the speaker said that as a journalist you have a sense of public service; you feel like you have to share information with the public to make them aware of issues that will affect them. He also stressed that on radio, your annunciation does matter, and you need a wide vocabulary to describe things that are happening to become a successful radio journalist. This kind of makes me think I need to read a bit more to expand my vocabulary and practice speaking clearly. 

One thing I have always disliked about radio is that often the content wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear, and I have often thought to myself, if I had a radio station I would talk about ... However, in this lecture I learnt that it is not about me, but about what the audience wants to hear. Just because I don't like listening to it doesn't mean that the population shares my opinions. Another interesting point that I hadn't really thought about is the idea that on radio you don't have pictures or videos or any visual distractions, so you really have to be careful what you say because the listener will take it all in.

So to sum up, although I didn't like how this week's lecture was presented, there was A LOT of interesting and practical content. 

Week 2 lecture

Thinking back about 'web iterations' from lecture two; traditional media is said to be "essentially instruments of mass communication targeting large aggregated audiences" (Harrison 2009:9) Despite the fact that media is slowly using more and more technology, I think that traditional media is still essential in our society. While media platforms such as twitter, Facebook, and online news bulletins aim to feed news to the masses as quickly as possible, traditional media don't have this luxury. However, As my 1112 lecturer said, newspapers have the opportunity to delve deeper into news stories, and are therefore still a huge part of today's society. 


The lecturer then went on to describe the different levels of internet: Web 1.0, Web 2.0 and Web 3.0. Web 1.0 is also known as the information web. The focus for the very first internet platform was on companies and very basic advertising. It was a place to go to find out all about different companies and their products, and largely produced by the manufacturers as a new way of reaching their consumers. A large portion of it was still images, including advertising. David Bradley described Web 1.0 as "the static flat web of hyperlinks and no interaction."


Web 2.0 is also known as the 'social web', and includes the start of social media sites such as Myspace, MSN Chat and Facebook. Gone are the days of that familiar dial-up tone. This growth from Web 1.0 can mainly be attributed to the fact that content began to be a mixture of advertisers and consumers productions. All of a sudden we can ask other consumers questions about products and find out real information about something we may be interesting in buying (also known as Produsers). This is largely what we have all been experiencing the last few years.


Last but not least is Web 3.0. This type of internet, also known as the 'semantic web' is what we are slowly moving into. Driven by meaning attached to information and 'Meta tags', this is the internet that will basically see artificial intelligence become a very graspable concept. Web 3.0 in large is focused on the individual and their wants and needs. It wants to know your questions and answer them in lightning speed. 


This week's lecture finished up by talking again about traditional media, and where newspapers have a part in today's society. This is a topic that is also being covered in my Journalism 1112 course, and in one of our lectures we talked about how newspapers still offer a unique service to the public. While internet, tv and radio all have to speed to have stories out before the next person, newspapers have absolutely no way of keeping up. However, they do have the time and resources needed to research stories in detail and offer perspective columns on topics. 


All in all, I think the internet is currently an exciting place for the media. Everyone has an opportunity to have their say, and news websites can use this content to publish exciting stories that let the mass hear about it. It is definitely becoming more and more personalized to the individual.

Custom content

So I have been thinking a little bit about what to post on this blog that is 'personalised' - what do I want it to represent? What do I want to be known for?
Honestly, I have found it difficult because I already have a personal blog where I fulfill this, and then I thought, hey! That is something I love: blogging. And not just that but discovering other blogs. So throughout this semester I am going to share with you some of my favourite little slices of the internet. Here goes nothing!

Growing up with a mum who is an artist has definitely allowed me to be more appreciative of all different kinds of art. However, my favourite art is the stuff that challenges society and has a dry sense of humour. Blog world, meet Marc Johns. As soon as I saw his artwork, I felt at home. I thought 'this is me'. Some of his artworks I can relate too a little too well, but every time I visit his blog I find myself in hysterics. Here are some of my favourite artworks of his.

(Definitely pokes fun at the first world mentality that goes 'I didn't need it but it was cheap so how could I not buy it?')

I also posted about this on my personal blog, here. Pop over and visit!

Writing truthful stories...

I found this fantastic post about the National Star Chronicle from March 8, 1965. Read it, but basically instead of admitting that police had found the perpetrator dead, they claimed that he had been dragged off to jail and that they got an exclusive interview with him. Hm, dodgy much?

Read the article here.

There goes the reporter and newspaper's credibility. Imagine if we could get away with that nowadays? Who knows what journalists would make up.

Week 3 lecture - text

I found yesterday's lecture really interesting; it was all about text in the media. I suppose it is obvious that text plays a huge role when it comes to journalism, but often I forget just how important it is. For example, even just key words that are used to identify articles on the internet (or 'labels' for any of these blog posts). If people are going to search for something, those are the words that will lead them to it, and I guess I forgot how powerful just one word can be. I guess the lecture was also a lot about grabbing the readers' attention using your words, and appealing to the mass whilst at the same time being concise.
Personally, I have always thought that text, and even just words, are extremely important to society. Especially after having read George Orwell's 1984. It scares me to think that a whole society could be reduced and contained by eliminating their ability to communicate. To not be able to express how they are feeling and what is happening in the world around them. In that way I hate to use 'text language' - gr8, brb. They have real proper words for those abbreviations, guys. Use them. Honestly, after years of texting you should be able to text fast enough that having to use seven extra characters will make less than a second of difference. And just imagine if you couldn't describe how the government was treating you badly, not just because you weren't allowed to, but you didn't know how to. Words are good, extremely important. Learn to use them.

Some helpful blogging tips

So it is no secret (except to my closest friends and family) that I am an aspiring fashion blogger. Fat Mum Slim  has some awesome tips on how to run a successful blog that I have found useful, and I hope you do too!

Welcome back to reality! (week 1 lecture)

So the first two weeks of uni I spent rushing around trying to keep up with myself. Have you ever tried running down a hill, and your legs are moving faster than the rest of your body and you think you might face plant? Yep, this is what it has felt like. I knew that after taking a gap year it would be a little bit difficult to get back into study, but I had no idea it would be this hard.

One lesson learnt the hard way  - check blackboard. Because when your Jour1111 lecture has moved rooms it is important to research where that room is before you have to be at your lecture. And it also helps if you know it has moved an hour earlier. This would have also meant that you would have avoided running into your ex on the bus, and the anxiety attack that followed.

I learnt a lot about journalism this week, and one thing that has really made me think is the idea that the purpose of journalism is to spread the word, not just to word vomit all over the internet (guilty). Once I heard Bruce talk about that in my first lecture, I really started to notice it more on social media. First example is the Stop Kony 2012 Youtube video that went viral, accompanied by the #stopkony twitter trend, shared by famous names such as P Diddy, Kim Kardashian etc. And then there was the inevitable criticism against the charity, some of it warranted, some not. The most naive reply I have seen to this was a Facebook post ending in "stop posting this Kony 2012 carry on because clicking 'share' is not causing any difference". Well, yes it is, because did you know about what was happening before you watched the Youtube video? No? And you do now? Well it has served its purpose then. And if you choose to sell your house and give all that money to the Invisible Children charity, and if you choose to do nothing after watching it, then that is your choice. But the point is that you are now aware of the issue.I also saw on Facebook this week a photo that was posted by a girl's mum within an hour of her going missing on the Gold Coast. By lunch time the photo had been shared hundreds of times and the girl was located.

Another wake up call this week was from one of our readings, Convergent Journalism  by Steven Quinn and Vincent Filak. It made a point in there, that to become a good writer and produce good quality stories, the information you have is never enough. If you have the opportunity to obtain more information, take it! This really hit home, as I know I often do the bare minimum and I don't always push myself to do that extra study.

I also love that blogging is part of our assessment, anyone else share my excitement? I already have my own personal blog, where mostly I take photos of myself (I know, Bruce, don't get caught in the ego trap).