Analysis of Results
By examining the data it is evident that the larger portion of my media use is in direct relation to my university studies. The computer time used for university work formed approximately 37% of the total time spent using what is classed as ‘Media’. Overall, computer use took up a portion of 46% of my media usage. Also because I am an EMSAH student reading takes up a great deal of my time. In total I spent approximately 13 hours reading. It is interesting that watching movies was next on the list. That was a result I did not expect. Research suggests that there is a close relationship between book reading and movie watching. It is believed that one increases the other. (Althus & Tewksbury, 2000) This is due to the fact that movies are usually based on books and if a movie makes a lasting impression people are more likely to read. This can also be reversed. Sometimes a successful TV show can inspire magazines or short novels. The media categories that the least amount of time was spent on were Facebook, television news and online news. I was not surprised by Facebook being the lowest in the results because I normally do a quick check of it when I am on the computer and then do not go on for the rest of the day. I hear most of my news on ABC radio in the mornings and afternoons, when I drive to and from university. I choose to listen to my news on ABC radio because it is more informative than the radio stations I listen to when I wish for entertainment. I prefer to hear my news on the radio because it means I am not wasting any valuable time. This is why the two other news media’s are particularly low. I would rather listen whilst I am driving rather than sit for an hour watching the news. In his study “Patterns of Recall among Television News Viewers” Russell Neuman states that “People think of television as primarily an entertainment medium” (pg 116). This is reflected in my results. Today television is viewed in a passive way and is associated with relaxation. There comes to mind an image of someone just arriving home from a hard day at work at siting down to relax and watch some television. At this point people’s attention span is low not leaving the desire to watch complex politics and news stories. (Neuman, pg 116) When I have time to watch television I view it as a break from hard work and therefore choose programs that I find amusing or interesting. This may be why I choose to watch the 7pm project over other news. It gives simple explanations and is amusing as well.
The Newspapers and Magazines category was quite low on the list in terms of media usage. I read The Sunday Mail every week and every 2 months branch out and buy a magazine, but that is all. I find that if I want to find specified news I use the internet. A major factor in the choice of the internet over the newspaper as a means of attaining news is the reader’s sense of control. The internet is able to give the reader a better sense of control over the news they are viewing. (Althus & Tewksbury, 2000) The reader can pick and choose the most relevant stories then leave out the rest. In a newspaper however there is a wide selection of stories to read and some of which may not be as rewarding to the viewer.
This study has highlighted to me how much the internet is a part of my life and how much I rely on it in all the different facets of my life. It has also given me an idea of how much media I take in during a period of two weeks. Before this study I never thought of the background radio in the car as contributing to my media usage or those few quick text messages making such an impact.
References
Althus, S & Tewksbury, D 2000, Patterns of Internet and Traditional News Media Use in a Networked Community, Political Communication, 17:1, 21-45, Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/105846000198495
Neuman, R 1976, Patterns Among Television News Viewers, The Public Opinion Quarterly, Oxford University Press & American Association for Public Opinion Research, Vol.40 pg 115-123, Link: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2748453
Tichenor, P.J & Donohue G.A & Olien C.N, 1970, Mass Media Flow and Differential Growth in Knowledge, The Public Opinion Quarterly Vol 34, pg 159-170, Link: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2747414
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