Welcome to my media dairy!
Yesterday, Wednesday August 23rd; I kept a 24-hour media diary from the moment I woke up to the time I went to sleep, I recorded each interaction I had with different forms of media. The experience was interesting, to say the least.
When I refer to “media,” I’m including a very broad range of media types. This includes not only streaming services and social media platforms but also emails, music, my smartwatch, and even books.
The purpose of this assignment was to gain a deeper understanding of my media habits and help me become more media literate allowing me to make more informed choices and critically evaluate the content I consume.
Let’s get into it!
7:30 am: Instagram
While laying in bed before getting up for the day I scrolled through my Instagram feed and viewed Instagram stories. Most days I only spend a few minutes on my phone before actually getting out of bed but today I spent about 30 minutes aimlessly scrolling on the platform. Most of my feed consists of people I know posting everyday content but I also use Instagram to keep up with brands and influencers that I like.
9:00 am – 3:00 pm: Spotify
I work as a server/manager at a restaurant, so during my work day I am rarely on my phone or media. However, Spotify is always playing on the speakers and today I chose the “Glass Animals radio” playlist on Spotify.
9:20 am: Water tracker on my Apple watch
I always wear my smart watch throughout the day. One of the main things I use my watch for is tracking my water intake. I use the app “WaterMinder” to record the various drinks I have everyday.
1:30 pm: Texted my boss
iMessage is my primary messaging platform, however I also use Whatsapp for messaging mostly while traveling abroad.
3:20 pm: Water tracker on my Apple watch
3:30 pm: Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok
After getting home from work, I usually enjoy sitting on the couch and decompressing for awhile. This often leads me to scrolling through my social media apps. I spent most of my time on Instagram however I did reply to snapchats that I received while working and watched a couple TikToks that were sent to me from my friends.
4:40 pm: LinkedIn, Email, Websites
I am currently in the process of applying for internships and job opportunities. Therefore, I have been spending a lot of time every day on LinkedIn. Besides scrolling through available jobs I also checked out websites for the jobs I’m interested in. A couple of the sites I visited today were;
- https://www.commcreative.com/
- https://www.upwork.com/?utm_campaign=company-page&utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social
- https://www.opusagency.com/
My email is another media that takes up a lot of my time and attention. Today, I replied to hiring managers to set up interviews and I emailed my landlord a couple files for my lease agreement.
4:50 pm: Water tracker on my Apple watch
5:30 pm: Youtube
Instead of watching TV via streaming services, I almost only stream videos on Youtube. I follow a variety of different channels and creators that align with my interests. Some of my favorite channels are;
Here’s a couple videos I watched today!
5:15 pm: iMessage / texted friends
7:30 pm: Spotify
While making dinner, my boyfriend and I always listen to music. Today we used Spotify and listened to “Dominic Fike Radio“. I also use Spotify frequently to listen to podcasts, some of my favorites are:
8:15 pm: Water tracker on my Apple watch
9:00 pm: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah (on my Kindle)
Reading has become one of my favorite hobbies in the last couple years, thanks to my Kindle. With my Kindle I’m able to read at night and travel with multiple books wherever I go. Currently, I am reading The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, this historical fiction follows a struggling family that moves to remote Alaska in search of a better life and an answer to their problems. I don’t usually read a lot of historical fiction, instead I read mostly fantasy, but so far I am really enjoying this book.
11:15 pm: Check Homebase app
Before I fall asleep, I check my Homebase app, which tells me my work schedule for the next day and then I set my phone alarm to wake me at at 7:30 the next morning.
To be honest, his 24-hour media diary was a bit difficult and eye opening. It’s kind of wild to think about how much media we interact with every day, often without even realizing it. This assignment wasn’t just about tallying up hours spent; it was about understanding the role media plays in our daily lives. Based on my media habits that I observed, my most credible sources come from LinkedIn and the employers on the platform. I did not really consume any news related media or academic media during this day in particular, but when I do those sources include sites like The New York Times and academic journals. As we keep moving in this digital world, I think it is a good idea to occasionally check in on our media habits. I learned that a lot of the media I consume on a daily basis are not necessarily all that credible and I surround myself with more entertainment media than informative media.
