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The Media and Me
How important are different styles of media to me?
The importance of media to me was heavily reflected through my findings of my 48-hour media log. Revealed to me, was that I engage with a large variety of media forms each day, each having their own significant importance. I found that physical forms of media, such as printed newspaper and magazines, takeaway menus and physical event tickets are forms that I seem to engage less with now in the age of digitalization. These are all media forms that are now widely accessible on a phone, such as online news outlets, takeaway apps, and E-tickets. I believe that media holds a significant amount of importance in my life, but the form it is presented with is highly significant it it’s dictatorship of importance in my life. I still do engage with some forms of physical media forms, such as collecting vinyl and physical books as it feels more authentic and provides me with an aspect of entertainment, I do not receive in the same way digitally.
How has my relationship with the media changed over time?
Over the last ten years I would say that my relationship with the media has completely transformed. Technological advances, and the rise of social media has changed my habits completely. In comparison to when I first got my Blackberry Bold, to now owning an iPhone 11 Max the applications and uses of a phone has completely changed. Previously, the sole purpose of my phone was to communicate through the messaging service BBM but in current the use of my mobile phone has expanded so much. This can range from messaging, social media, using the 4K camera to take images, providing me updates from the latest news outlets and being a source of information, capable of telling me the time and setting alarms, forecasting the weather and much more.
How did I conduct the log? What did I include/exclude?
I conducted the log over two, 24-hour periods. I decided to conduct one study of my 24-hour media usage on a weekend, and one 24-hour period on a weekday to gain a variety of information of how I consume my media over the span of 7 days. I decided to log down my usage on my notes app but exclude the use of that app in my findings alongside whenever I engaged with my phone to check the time as I feel like these results would overwhelm my findings and are insignificant to what I am trying to observe.
What does my log reveal about my media habits, routines, and tastes?
The process of completing my log revealed various patterns within my behaviour in my everyday life. It was revealed to me I consumed a mass amount of media content that I had become desensitised to as our everyday lives are so heavily saturated by it. For example, my findings showed that I would consume over a hundred adverts a day through multiple forms of media such as television advertisements, billboards and posters, paid promotion posts and affiliate links on Instagram, pop-ups on websites and even on packaging such as an Uber-Eats bag. Revelations my investigation showed that any music-type form of media, specifically music streaming seemed to be the most common type of media I engaged with within these 24 hours. I tend to listen to music a lot, through outlets such as streaming through Spotify, listening to the radio, film soundtracks and using my record player. Additionally, social media also obtains a significant amount of importance within my life as I spent a vast percentage of my time within these 48 hours engaging with social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.
How can I connect my own media usage to some of the theories and studies looked at on the module? Does my experience of being an audience member challenge or support these arguments?
It would have such a detrimental impact on my life if I didn’t have my mobile phone. I would have to replace the variety of applications I use on my phone within a 24 hour period with other alternatives, such as purchase a physical newspaper, check the weather on television, buy physical copies of music, find alternate ways to communicate to my friends and family and use physical maps. You could apply Some researchers have conducted experiments looking at what happens when you take away technology such as the mobile phone, TV or internet. Lee and Katz (2014) found that lack of ability to communicate with friends and family due to not having a device to communicate with for even a short period of time can be seen as a seemingly tectonic event and an emotionally fraught situation.