JOUR1111 Media Use Journal

As society makes its transition into the future, so to do does technology and the way in which we utilise it. What was once innovative and hi-tech is now overshadowed by modern advancements, and the interactive and dynamic nature of new-age technology has transformed the way in which we communicate globally. In terms of the individual, media consumption has reached new heights with portable mediums becoming more commonly used than ever before.

Through evaluation of my own personal media use, it is evident that the use of my iPad is predominant.

 

If we take a further look into the different ways that I use my iPad, the access to social-networking site Facebook dominates.

This is coherent with results stemming from a survey conducted with 167 students in a Journalism and Communication course at UQ. The results showed that Facebook is commonly accessed through both the students' phones and the internet, with 73% of the demographic answering that this is how they spend most of their internet time. When comparing the frequency of use between the internet, television and the radio (second and third most common sources of media used, respectively), it is clear that the internet is most popular. 

It can be seen from the graph that the majority of people watch 1-2 hours of television daily and spend less than 1 hour a day listening to the radio, while a quarter of the demographic's daily use of the internet is between 3-4 hours. This is no doubt attributed to the ease and accessibility of connecting to Wi-Fi (illustrated by question 20 in the survey) via portable devices such as PC's, Mac's and Smartphones. 

While radio is also available on portable devices such as phones and iPods, people more commonly use this media to listen to music rather than the radio. Television can also be accessed through smartphones, e-readers and tablets, however it is not as convenient as access to the internet and it's range of entertainment and diversity. YouTube, for example, is quite popular with web users, having the same appeal as television with the added benefit of being able to select what you want to see exactly when you want to see it (exploiting Web 2.0's functioning and capabilities). 

Looking at the data with specific attention to the use of the radio as a news source, it does not even compete with Facebook. 

This can be attributed to the interactive nature of Facebook, as well as television, which makes receiving the news a far more engaging and dynamic. These sources offer visual prompts and imagery such as photographs, which act as mental stimulation, encouraging one's imagination and intensifying the impact of the news story. When compared to single-sense stimulation of radio, television and the internet (on whole) are far more exciting and appealing.