Media use over 10 Days

Media Use Diary Analysis and Comparison

Nick Biggs – JOUR1111 (T12)

Evidence suggests that the vast majority of younger students are far more oriented towards online and visual based media. As shown in the JOUR1111 survey. Over 75% of students have an internet-enabled smart phone, of which 95.4% use Facebook on it. This statement is reinforced by the statistics of Question12 – i.e. students predominantly use the internet between 2 and 4 hours a day.

My Media Usage over 10 Days

There is an obvious trend towards online media and social networking. This is to be expected in a course where the majority of students are between 17 and 20 years old.  However this fact has other facets that should be examined, for example the difference in internet usage and the frequency of certain online applications.

As is clearly represented in the survey, Facebook is the primary time waster of students, with a staggering 397 students out of the possible 432 indicating the social media site was one which they frequented. My results are complimentary to this trend. I average 126 minutes on the site, generally for entertainment and leisure purposes (see table).

Visual Representation of media usage per day

Although many online journals, politicians and news outlets have their own Facebook pages, it would be safe to say that students mostly use the site to socialise.  This trend or pattern, I believe stems from a need to simply socialise and have a need for fast information. This notion is generally agreed upon by leading specialists, including a report written by the IRMA (Information Resources Management Association) which says “teens…are trying our different identities, …being impulsive and idealistic.” (http://www.irma-international.org/viewtitle/39722/, 2010) I believe this not only shows that I have a strong attachment to online media, but also defines the path that Journalism should be heading in.

Despite my figures for Facebook and General Browsing, I do also tend to read the newspaper for an average of 30 minutes every day. This is contrary to the preconceived notion of the survey. It is evident that the internet plays a very important part in the lives of many teens; however I believe I am one of a minority that still read a newspaper. However if we look at the statistics from the survey, 43.1% of students still read articles online. This only proves the positive relationship between Journalism and online media. 

This once again shows the positive relationship between online media and journalism.

Another aspect of visual media to examine is the role TV plays in the distribution of information. 29.9% of students indicated that they watched TV (either broadcast or online) for between 1 and 2 hours a day. I can confirm that I watch the 7pm ABC news every night and then some morning news on days I have off. Apart from this I normally watch TV for entertainment purpose (despite the comparably  large amount of time I watch it.). I believe that this is the same case for the rest of the JOUR1111 students.

In conclusion, based on y results and the results from the JOUR1111 survey, it is evident that there is a positive relationship between online and visual based media, and Journalism. As indicated, mediums like Radio and Newspapers drag behind in daily usage. I believe that my relationship with Journalism is, and will continue to be, a highly online and multimedia based one.