2. Media in the Modern Age Media in the modern day and age of 2011 had inundated the world with its mass production and influent ways of protruding into the minds of masses within society. Whether its within a profession to broadcast the ‘latest’ or stream your own accounts of day to day activities, media is being produced every second. ‘’As the web becomes a more social and porous medium, remember that interaction and community are going to happen with or without your involvement. You can watch the conversation take place, or you can own and guide it.’ Adam Weinroth, “Making Sense of Social Media”, Article on imediaconnection.com (February 12, 2008)
3. RECORD– my media use & production habits for two weeks; IDENTIFY – trends, patterns & standouts that emerge from the collected data; ANALYSE– how these practices influence my understanding of Journalism and Communication. Social Media has revolutionized the way we think, share information, build brands and connections. TASK
6. IDENTIFY As evident in previous slides, a basic outline of my media use and production habits over the course of the past two weeks has been documented via graph and table. If the spectrum were to be narrowed – Magazines I read are of the celebrity gossip sort, television programs I watch on the computer consist of shows such as Friends, The Vampire Diaries and How I Met Your Mother whereas scheduled television I watch less frequently. When sourcing online news I find myself browsing through The Courier Mail, The Sunshine Coast Daily and Brisbane Times. However, Facebook has proven to be a more update source of information. I check my emails (both personal and academic) daily, along with Blackboard. My production over the past two weeks consisted of producing Blog posts, sourcing information online for assessment pieces and uploading photos.
7. What Lies behind This behaviour? When looking at my media use and production diary it can be observed that the most prevalent and significant use I have sourced over the past two weeks has been the use of my phone through messaging and calling. Secondly, Facebook was accessed (on approximate) for seventeen hours over the two week span. It can be said that a steady level was shown between streamed television, lectures & tutorials and production, with a variance on average of 6.3 hours per week. I would attribute this behaviour specifically to the need to have contact with my family and peers. However, I do find myself losing time through general browsing. Watching television online has become a more popular way to view programs amongst youth of today that I have come into contact with and is seen as a pastime. Frequent access to University related sites and programs is necessary for me to fulfil my course requirements.
8. Is it part of a wider pattern of Media use and Production? According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the percentage of students using email has decreased from 40% in 2006 to 25% in 2008, and 15% in 2010 (ABS). More students use social networking sites such as Facebook today than they did in 2006 (ABS). In a poll conducted through the one hundred and eighteen JOUR1111 students it was found that Facebook (88.1%) was the highest ranking of time spent online, followed by general surfing and browsing (57.6%). From news perspective it was gathered that students preferred and sourced their latest news through online newspaper archives. It can be assessed that through JOUR1111 there has been a significant increase in the number of participants in social networking sites such as Twitter and Blogspot due to the emphasis that the course gives to be able to communicate and connect through media use. Which, in turn is the upcoming revelation of the modernised technological society of today.
11. My Relationship with Journalism & Communication Due to the data recorded, I as a social networker am not as enthused compared to others within Journalism at UQ . Before beginning Journalism I was one of many who had heard of blogging and Twitter but never delved into the possibility. When analysing other components of my media diary I found that my connections with my emails and university related aspects are more consistent. In comparison to data recorded through the JOUR1111 course, my connection with news whether it be online, in paper or on television as prevalent as is in the journalistic world.
