When analysing my Media use Log, I looked at the amount of time spent on each medium and where and when I used it most. I then used this information to come to several conclusions about my own relationship with Journalism and Communication and how it is influencing the new generation of users. (See below for Media use Log)
Social Media- The immense majority of the time spent on social media wasn’t a surprise to me given our generation’s well-documented obsession with Facebook and Twitter. I also run my own personal blog which takes up a fair bit of time. Spending an average of thirty minutes at varied times throughout the day in contact with social media means I am constantly up to date with the happenings of friends and family and often major news events such as this week’s house fire in which eight women and children perished. Over the last two weeks, my news feed has also been bombarded with farewells for a boy from my local high school who committed suicide; the amount of information about this very private incident that is available on Facebook is incredible and I’m having trouble deciding whether it’s a source of support for the family or an invasion of their privacy. It certainly seems like a support network for the boys’ friends through this very difficult time.
This reliance on social media means the journalism I receive is often via people’s status updates and ‘groups’ which have been created to remember a particular event. As a result, the news I receive is very short- usually a small sentence- and contains only the most vital information. My constant access to this medium suggests that I will be up to date on the latest news literally as it happens however my knowledge on the particular event will be limited and tainted with personal bias. Further current affairs that I receive come from online news and then TV news. I don’t even remember the last time I picked up a newspaper. I access online news sporadically, usually the Sydney Morning Herald site when I want more information on a news story or am researching for an assignment. Because there is no word limit, I find online news to be extremely long winded and I rarely find myself finishing an article however the wide range of articles available- from breaking news to feature stories- at the touch of a button is too convenient to pass up.
Television- Second on the list was television, in which my usage was split between current affairs and entertainment sitcoms. I prefer breakfast telly such as ‘Today’ over nightly news because it allows for not only current affairs but a comment on the latest social research and often provides a wide range of professional opinions on topical issues. Access to these programs means I am not only up to date on natural disasters and oil prices but the latest technological and social trends and this week’s pop psychology.
Music- Music plays a massive part in my daily life, often providing a background to study and social networking. I listen to music mostly via my computer while studying, iPod while exercising and radio when driving. Music is fantastic for relaxation and motivation alike and I find it can change my whole perspective.
SMS- The fact that the majority of my time spent communicating is via technology such as computers and mobile phones means that my communication skills may be lacking in that I have become accustomed to speaking in short hand and using colloquial language. I try to compensate for this by spending a small amount of time each day writing in a journal or working on assignments.
My relationship with Journalism and Communication is one of convenience; I access it first in the most basic and palatable form (social media) and then when I’m after something deeper I turn to online news websites and breakfast TV for an easy explanation of current affairs. I communicate, like most teenagers, via the simplest means possible and listen to music to enhance my mood. I also like to express myself and my opinion in an online blog for the world to see and often feel the need to be validated by people’s response to what I post. For young people today, journalism and communication are simply two more things that are at our fingertips and while a Facebook addiction may not be the most productive thing in the world, the exposure of young people to news and current affairs is empowering us with more knowledge and information than any generation before us. This newfound power is paving the way for one of the smartest, most well-informed and worldly generations we’ve seen, and there’s no limit to what we can achieve. Here’s to the future.
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