Media Use & Production Log Analysis

Over a period of 10 days, JOUR1111 students had to record both their media use and production for that duration of time. Along with the results of a media use and production survey the whole cohort had to complete, I will discuss, analyise my own media use and production while comparing my results to my fellow students.

Both media use ( Fig.1) and production (Fig 2) were recorded in a table, measured using minutes for use and units for production as shown below. 

Day/Date	1 Thurs 2/08	2 Fri 3/08	3 Sat 4/08	4 Sun 5/08	5 Mon 6/08	6 Tues 7/08	7 Wed 8/08	8 Thurs 9/08	9 Fri 10/08	10 Sat 11/08	Average
T.V	60	-	-	190	-	120	240	30	30	-	67
Laptop	360	90	-	-	300	240	180	360	-	-	153
Radio	60	10	30	30	60	30	20	30	30	30	40
iPhone	180	60	60	60	120	90	30	20	40	60	78
iPhone (music only)	-	600	360	360	-	30	-	90	360	120	192
Reading	-	-	-	-	30	60	30	60	-	-	18

Fig 1. Media Use

Day /Date	1 Thurs 2/08	2 Fri 3/08	3 Sat 4/08	4 Sun 5/08	5 Mon 6/08	6 Tues 7/08	7 Wed 8/08	8 Thurs 9/08	9 Fri 10/08	10 Sat 11/08	Average
Instagram (no. of pictures)	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	1	0	0.3
Tumblr (no. of posts)	2	0	0	0	2	2	7	3	0	0	1.6
Facebook (no. of statuses)	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	1.33
Texting (no. of Texts)	1	4	2	2	3	4	4	2	4	10	3.6

Fig 2. Media Production 

Analysis of My Results

By looking at the tables constructed, several patterns can be seen depending on what day the source was used. Focusing only on averages, the media use table shows that my main source used was my laptop, followed by my iPhone (music only). The main reason my laptop would be my main source is because it is my main tool for resource as this semester I have tried to cut back on paper use thus bring my laptop to every lecture and tutorial. I also complete the vast majority of course work outside of university contact hours on my laptop, with a small amount of that time contributing to personal use.

My iPhone as a source of music was my second highest source used. Working in a café on my days off (Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) the time I used my iPhone for music only is much higher then my days at university, this is due to the fact that my phone is used on an iPod dock for music at the café.

Media production also showed that my phone and laptop is a main source for the majority of my production. The highest units of production were produced via texting, which was higher than social media, iPhone apps and my personal blog on Tumblr. The main reason texting is significantly higher than the other categories is because that’s my main form of communication between friends and family. The second highest unit was the no. posts on Tumblr. Normally, I have been spending less and less time on Tumblr but due to a day off work on Wednesday (which can be seen as the day I posted the most) I used the blog as a form of procrastination and to pass time.  A clearer picture of my results can be viewed in the pie-charts below.

Fig 1. Media Use

Fig 2. Media Production

Comparing My Results to Fellow JOUR1111 Students

When analyzing the results of the survey there were many similarities and differences between my media consumption and other JOUR1111 students. Similarities include that the most popular smart phone was an iPhone (53.9%), which I also have and use as a main media source. Another similarity was the apps used on students smart phone with the top 3 being Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr which are the main apps used in my media production, however Twitter was also in the top apps which I do not use (except for within JOUR1111).  Also, the largest spots for accessing wi-fi were in their own home, at university and via their phone/tablet which are the only ways I also access wi-fi. Other similarities include an online ‘newspaper’ as my main source of finding news, not owning an Ereader, how I listen to music (iPhone, which can be seen in my media use table), when I mostly listen to the radio and for how long (in the car, less than 1 hour).

I would like to compare the two biggest sources for media – Television and Computers. Looking at the graph below (Fig 3) it can be seen that I watch television slightly less then the average JOUR1111, but still a significant amount of time each day and still slot into the most common range of 1-2 hours of television per day. 

Fig 3 Hours Spent Watching Televsion

NB: an average of 1.5 hours were used for JOUR1111 students as it was given in a range of 1-2 hours, not an exact value.

Secondly, the results of the time spent on the internet (computer/laptop) results were very different than the time watching television. The most time JOUR1111 students spent on the internet daily was between 3 - 4 hours, where as my average was 2.55 hours, just under an hour less than other students. A graph comparing my average time spent below can show the difference in this relationship clearer (Fig 4)

Fig 4 Hours Spent on the Internet

NB: an average of 3.5 hours were used for JOUR1111 students as it was given in a range of 3-4 hours, not an exact value.

In conclusion, it can be seen that not only myself, but the vast majority of the JOUR1111 have very similar media production and use patterns, especially relating to social media and online news.