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Media Diary Blog
Friday 1/7/2011
11:00 AM- 12:00 AM
- Went on Facebook
- Checked e-mails
- Watched TV
- Watched Degrassi DVD
- Texted Friends
- Listened to music on internet
- Call mom on cell phone
- Surfed Internet
- Read news on internet
- Played games online
- Watched live prank call show online
Saturday 1/8/2011
10:00 AM- 11:00 PM
- Went on Facebook
- Watched TV
- Watched movie on Netflix
- Texted Friends
- Skype friends
- Listened to music on internet
- Call friends
- Surfed Internet
- Played games online
- Played video games on PS2
- Used Google maps
- Listened to iPod on train
- Watched YouTube Videos
Sunday 1/9/2011
11:00 AM- 12:00 AM
- Went on Facebook
- Texted friends
- Watched TV
- Listened to music on internet
- Read article online for class
Monday 1/10/2011
12:00 PM-6:00 PM
- Texted Friends
- Watched TV
- Listened to Jango
- Watch videos on YouTube
This log really made me see how central media is to my life. I use media at least once every hour in one way shape or form, from being on my laptop to surfing on my mobile phone. I am really unsure how I would function especially on the weekends without it. I use media for entertainment purposes much of the time. But along with that I feel it can also be seen as personal interaction because I use my cell phone to communicate as well as internet through IMs and Facebook. Media is a big thing for me because it calms me down and puts me in a relaxed state of mind. I watch TV a lot and I also listen to music a lot because these are two things that relax me.
Media Journal
These are my interactions with media from Friday through Monday:
Friday: Watched SportsCenter in the dining Hall for 30 minutes in the morning. Used my laptop to get research on a project for 3D approaches during studio hours. I talked to my friend from my high school on the phone for 45 minutes. Talked to my dad on the phone for 25 minutes. Went to Jazzman’s to get lunch and texted 4 different people about tonight’s plans. I talked on the phone with my mom at 11:00pm for a half hour.
Saturday: Woke up and played XM radio on my laptop while cleaning my room. Skied in Breckenridge, and used a “Go Pro Hero” video camera that straps you your ski helmet. Used cell phone multiple times while calling other people to meet up at Breck. Watched CNN while eating in one of the chalet’s.
Sunday: Made a video using iMovie of the footage taken while skiing in Breckenridge the previous day. Went to Church in the Evans Chapel and went on facebook on my phone on the way. Finished up homework and Played Call of Duty for 45 minutes before getting ready to go to bed.
Monday: Used iPod when I went to the gym to workout. Used my laptop to record part of the journal entries. Typed part of my English paper for an hour and a half, using Microsoft Word and Blackboard.
Last week, around Wednesday, I misplaced my phone. It was really frustrating because I knew the vicinity of where it was: my dorm room. I kept searching but for some reason I still could not find it! I ended up not finding my phone until 36 hours later. Through this time, my memory was refreshed on the reliance I have on my cell phone. Contrary to the way a lot of teens may respond to this situation, I actually experienced somewhat of a freeing feeling not having to respond to texts and make phone calls. I found that though facebook and emails I could still contact the people I needed to contact and I could function. However, the main issue was being able to get a hold of someone when I was out and about on campus. The cell phone is definitely essential for me to have throughout my day in order to stay on top of things. Over this period of time that I spent recording my use of media in a journal, I realized again that I use my cell phone throughout the day. I found that besides being in class (which is what the majority of this time was) was the time where I would be using a form (or multiple forms) of media without even realizing it. I’ve always known Facebook was a huge part of my life and definitely was up 90% of the time that I have my laptop open. I seem to only watch the news on television when it is presented to me. I never found myself turning on the TV in my dorm room and going to a weather channel or a popular news channel. I never looked at one newspaper. All of the time spent staying up on the news (especially sports) was either on TV or on the internet such as espn.com or nba.com. It was eye opening to actually pay attention to my use of media, because it really is a huge part of my life.
The best show on television: Modern Family
The television show that I chose to examine through the lens of media grammar is one that I consider one of the best and most entertaining shows on TV right now, Modern Family. Modern Family premiered on ABC in the fall of 2009 and was an instant success. The show follows the families of Jay Pritchett, his daughter Claire Dunphy, and his son Mitchell Pritchett, who live in a LA suburban community. It follows the families through the many trials and tribulations that many families face through everyday life while still trying to remain close and supportive of each other. I believe the subtext of the show is that no matter what happens to you or how many embarrassing mistakes you make, your family will always love you and be there for you, even though sometimes they might make matters worse. Modern Family has appeared in print in many magazines including on the cover of Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide and interview with various members of the cast have been featured in New York Magazine and The Examiner. There is no music featured in the show because the genre of the show is a comedy “mockumentary,” in which the family’s everyday life is observed by cameras, broken up my interviews by each member of each family. Thus, if music started to play throughout, it would ruin the authenticity and mood of the show. Modern Family is appealing to all different kinds of audiences because the three families are so different with one racially mixed family, a gay couple and divorced parents with step-children. Although the families have diverse characteristics it also highlights the relationships between parents and their children, siblings and how these relationships can change or stay the same over time. I believe with every episode of Modern Family its audience expects to be able to laugh out loud while relating to the characters and the show’s positive subtext. It also borrows from the online community because it has a very popular webpage on ABC.com with episode recaps, videos and cast member biographies. The show also has it’s own application that includes funny quotes and summaries from episodes that can be purchased for the iPhone, iTouch or iPad. Like previous great comedies that have come before it, Modern Family knows that its not just about making their audience laugh, but about how they make them feel after watching it. Modern Family is especially unique because they have managed to take the tired subject of dysfunctional families and breathe new life into it, all while using a positive subtext to leave their audiences feeling joyful and positive at the end of each episode.
Weekend media journal
This was a fairly interesting experience for me. Media is an important part of my life. I am a musician, therefore I listen to many artists to see “how they’re doing it. Starting on friday I noticed that I really dont use my phone as much as most people. And as people these days prefer to text, I still prefer to call people. I have friends that always say “shoot me a text” or something like that and I always end up calling them. In a way, with texting, I feel like we have backtracked to something similar to the telegraph. I spent lots of time over the weekend skiing with my girlfriend and my friends already knew I had plans. So I really didn’t use my phone much; mostly to see what time it was.
I noticed I checked my facebook at least twice a day, but not for more than 10 min at a time. I really look down upon folks who use facebook for more than an hour a day. I personally would rather spend my time with actual people, or calling them to plan something with them at a later date. I checked my email about twice a day as well as my checking account. On sunday afternoon I checked up on imdb.com to see the latest movie news. This is a site I visit fairly regularly. I watched new trailers to upcoming films and checked ratings of movies I had already seen to see what others thought.
I also check youtube and itunes for good music. I also record my music so I look for tips online so I can learn new tricks. Overall I think I use media less than most people my age in America, but I still enjoy it.
Media Diary
Friday:
First I woke up to my cell phone alarm at around 9 and ate breakfast while watching the news. Then I went to classes and I had my laptop with me. I used it to take notes and on breaks to check my mail and Facebook occasionally. StumbleUpon is also something I utilize whenever I get bored. I also used my phone throughout the day to send texts and calls to friends and family. Later on in the afternoon, I watched television with some friends and then played video games on a Playstation 3 and the Nintendo 64. Eventually I drove home and listened to music on the radio. When I got home, I used the laptop a little more and eventually fell asleep.
Saturday:
I woke up and checked my computer for news, mail, and again Facebook. I then went to watch the playoff games for football on the television. I used my phone throughout the day to send texts and calls to friends and family. When I got bored, I used my Ipod to listen to music and mess around with some apps. I then went for a run in the afternoon and took my Ipod with me to listen to music along the trip. At night, I used the Playstation 3 to play a couple of games before I went to sleep.
Sunday:
I used my dad’s GPS navigation system to run some errands for my parents and listened to music on my Ipod. I checked my phone for updates on the football games at certain points throughout the day. When I got the chance, I checked the television for live feeds of each game, and then I headed back home. I used my laptop for a while and then used my phone to call and meet up with some friends. I then came back home, used my Ipod for a little bit then fell asleep.
Monday:
I woke up from the alarm clock on my phone and went downstairs to eat breakfast while again watching the news. I then went to school and took my laptop again to take notes and occasionally mess around with. I then used some programs for my statistics class to help me understand the concepts better and I also viewed the website “Digg” for all different kinds of news. I then finished classes and texted a couple of friends to meet up to eat. I then went home, finished some homework on my laptop, talked to some friends on the phone, and then fell asleep.
Blog #2 – Weekend of January 7-10
I spent most of this weekend snowboarding at Keystone, so I had personal interactions with my friends that I went up with, but mostly the weekend was devoted to entertainment. I had personal interactions with a friend from DU on Friday, and I met his friend who goes to CU Boulder, since he was driving us. That night I spent more time at DU interacting with friend in Centennial Halls, since I live in JMAC. Saturday morning I was on my way back to Keystone with my two DU friends who are from Montana. It was a much busier day on the mountain, so I had much more interaction with strangers on the lift line and while hiking up to the bowls. That Saturday night I again interacted with friends in Halls, so looking at the weekend as a whole I guess I did have a combination of entertainment and personal interactions. Sunday was devoted to sleeping, and then traveling downtown on the light rail to buy a helmet. I interacted with people on the train, and in the stores I went to. Finally, Monday was devoted more to personal interactions during the school day, since the entertainment cannot come before school!
Media Diary
Fri 1/7/11
11-11:50 -used computer in class to take notes and follow PowerPoint presentation. Also used computer to surf the web a little.
2-5- Played on Xbox live with my friends while we talked about break and how school had been going.
6-6:30- Listened to the radio as I drove to the movie theater. Ks 107.5/107.1
7-9:30- Went to a movie with my family and saw “How do you Know” it was a little slow for my liking but since I was with the family It didn’t really matter.
10-10:50- Surfed the web and checked my email, also talked on Facebook.
11-12- Watched Sports Center as I feel asleep.
. 11am-12 am -Throughout the day from beginning too end I was texting. It was just hard to keep a running media diary for this but I was texting a lot also made some phone calls as well.
Sat 1/8/11
12-2- Watched a movie with my girlfriend called “Case 39’ didn’t enjoy the movie at all I’m not really into scary movies not that I’m scared just don’t enjoy them.
2-6- Watched the NFL playoff games.
2-6- Surfed the web worked on my Media Diary checked my email.
7-8. Talked to people on Facebook also played online games.
11-12- Watched Sports Center as I feel asleep.
. 11am-12 am -Throughout the day from beginning too end I was texting. It was just hard to keep a running media diary for this but I was texting a lot also made some phone calls as well.
Sun 1/9/11
12-6- Watched NFL Pregame show and the NFL playoff games.
7-9 Watched animation domination on Fox which is all the new cartoons such as family guy and the Simpsons.
9-10. Went online to look at new music also got on Facebook.
10-10:30 Finished my Media Diary for the weekend.
10:30-11:15- Skype with my girlfriend
11:15-11:30- watched the rest of Sports Center and went to bed.
11am-12 am -Throughout the day from beginning too end I was texting. It was just hard to keep a running media diary for this but I was texting a lot also made some phone calls as well.
Mon 1/10/11
11-11:50- Took notes on laptop also surfed the net.
12-2- Used laptop to download music and used Facebook
2-3 Texted also made some phone calls
6-7 Watched ESPN college game day
7-9 Took notes on my laptop for astronomy surfed the net and watched updates of the BCS National championship game.
9-10 Watched the BCS National Championship game.
10-11- Played Xbox live and skyped girlfriend .
Overall Reflection
My overall reflection is that I seem to rely a lot on technology and media not only to communicate with others but as a source for entertainment. What I mean by this is that I communicate with people generally through media such as texting, phone calls, skype and more. I feel that we as a society have grown apart from interpersonal communication or face to face communication and we rely a lot on technology and media. Now a days people tend to text or skype loved ones because as a society that’s the direction were heading. I also noticed that when it comes to class work I tend to use my computer to surf the web and look up information but I tend to abuse it and get lost surfing the web, weather I use it to look up new music or get on Facebook. Media has had a huge impact on my everyday life and with all the new technology that is now available to use I think with out it many would be lost including myself.
Weekend Media Diary
Friday January 7, 2011
9:00 am – 12:00 pm:
– Checked e-mails (both school and personal)
– Made phone calls to the university
– Read Google News.
– Texted friends
12:00 pm – 5:00 pm:
– Called Mom
– Read online documents for class
– Texted friends
5:00 pm – 9:00 pm:
– Texted friends
– Called friends
– Listened to music online
9:00 pm- 12:00 am:
– Went out with friends
– Texted friends
Saturday January 8, 2011
9:00 am – 12:00 pm:
– Texted friends
– Watched TV
– Read Google News
12:00 pm – 5:00 pm:
– Read Textsfromlastnight.com and TFM.com
– Listened to music online
– Texted friends
5:00 pm – 9:00 pm:
– Texted friends
– Watched TV
9:00 pm – 12:00 am:
– Went out with friends
– Texted friends
– Called friend from home
Sunday January 9, 2011
9:00 am – 12:00 pm:
– Checked the weather online
– iChat with family at home
12:00 pm – 5:00 pm:
– Texted friends
– Watched TV
– Used the internet for homework
– Watched Grey’s Anatomy online
– Did online homework assignments
– Checked the weather
5:00 pm – 9:00 pm:
– Watched the News on TV
– Texted friends
– Listened to music online
9:00 pm- 12:00 am:
– Surfed online
– Texted Friends
– Checked school closings and weather forecasts multiple times
– Fell asleep watching TV
Overall Conclusions: After looking at how many times I sent a text this past weekend I learned that my phone pretty much never leaves my side. Also, more often than not I use it for a purpose the phone was not originally invented for. I even find myself sending picture and video messages quite frequently with texts. The way I see it is why try and describe it in words when you can send a real picture or video that explains it all. Also, when I am not texting with friends I am usually chatting with them on Facebook. Over the weekend I would say that my use of media technology was mainly not school related. That would probably not be the case if I kept a log during the week. Also, almost always I was in my house with multiple other people around me while doing all of the activities that I mentioned. Multi-tasking is a term that describes my days perfectly. I feel like I am constantly in contact with people, which I love. I am sure if I tried to “disconnect” from technology, especially my phone I would have to find new ways to communicate with people as much as I currently do.
Blog 2: Media Diary
Friday (1/7)
11:43 am: used phone to text
12:15: listened to Pandora radio in the car
12:30 – 4 pm: listened to music at a friend’s house and read a book on and off
6 – 7:30 pm: on my laptop, I watched an episode of American Dad! on Hulu and surfed around the internet on other sites such as Facebook. I was listening to music the whole time.
7:30 – 8:30 pm: read a book
Saturday (1/8)
10:30 am: used phone to text
10:30 – 11 am: listened to music in my room
11 – 11:20 am: listened to music in my car
12 – 6 pm: listened to music at a friend’s house and read a book, occasionally used my Android phone to surf to random sites on the internet
7 pm – 7:30 pm: watched an episode of South Park on my laptop
9:15 pm: used the phone to text
9:30 – 10:30 pm: listened to music while hanging out at a friend’s house
10:30 pm – 2 am: went to a party, there was music. I used my phone on various occasions to text and call
Sunday (1/9)
9:15 am: used the phone to text
9:30 am: listened to music in the car
10 am – 12 pm: listened to music at a friend’s house
12-6 pm: listened to music and read a book, used my phone to surf the internet occasionally
6-7 pm: watched an episode of Family Guy on my laptop
7-9 pm: listened to music
9-11 pm: watched Grandma’s Boy
Monday (1/10)
10 am: used phone to text
11 am: listened to music in my car
11:30 am – 2 pm: listened to music and read at a friend’s house
2-2:30 pm: listened to music in my car
3-4 pm: used Twitter, Facebook, WordPress, email
4-6 pm: was online in class (for my class) with Gmail, Youtube, WordPress and Twitter
6-7 pm: used my phone to surf the internet and text
7:30 – 8 pm: watched an episode of The Simpsons on Hulu
8-10 pm: used my laptop and internet (social networking sites) to work on homework
Overall, despite the enormous quantity of technology and media outlets available out there, I don’t tend to indulge myself in them very habitually. But I do tend to use communicational media for entertainment purposes first (seen in my huge use of music in my daily life), personal communication second, and work/school related communications third. This is how it has always been for me for the most part, but now that I am taking only communication and journalism classes, a lot of my personal social-networking use is being cross-used between my classes and personal life (I have a Twitter, Youtube, WordPress and Gmail account for my classes).
I mainly use the technology for the purpose of music – either buying or downloading or sharing and listening to it or making it. It is a constant presence in my life whenever I have the free time to occupy it with music. I even use my phone a lot these days to listen to music on the internet radio Pandora (I used my phone first for texting, second for calling, third for listening to music, and fourth for surfing the internet). Even the times that I was surfing online this last weekend, it was highly probable that I was surfing around on music sites or Youtube to listen to music. In this way, I use a lot of communicational media for my own entertainment purposes.
For personal communication, I mainly use my phone, but I do use tools such as Facebook, which I can also access on my phone. However, although I do use technology and things to keep up with my personal communication, overall, I do not think I use my phone or Facebook that much. I tend to keep their usages down to a minimal. It seems to me I would rather listen to music or watch a movie than be actively engaged with people though my technological tools. Perhaps in this way, I am more of a passive user of communicational media and technology rather than an active user that reaches out to connect with others. And for this reason, I believe I use communicational media the least of all for my work/school because these are both duties that require you to be active and I do not like to spend a large amount of my work and school time going through emails and responding and scheduling appointments in datebooks and making phone calls. I think my mind sees the potential for technology when it comes to entertainment because there are some incredibly engaging technological tools out there!
Media Diary
Friday 1/7:
11:30am: Woke up and phone was dead. Left my friends room to go and charge it.
11:30-12:30pm: While my phone was charging I watched two episodes of Skins on my computer.
12:30pm: Texted my friend to see if she wanted to get lunch.
12:30-1:30pm: Texted simultaneously while walking/eating lunch.
2:00pm: Came back to my room and updated my iPod while listening to new songs on a various number of music blogs.
3:00pm:
- got some work done using blackboard and other DU affiliated websites while listening to music from my Itunes.
- Called an old friend to see how he was doing.
5:00pm: Texted a friend about dinner and used a website online to look up a recipe. Continued to listen to music from my computer.
6:00pm Used my computer to go on facebook, stumbleupon, and check my email.
7:00pm: Received a text from Merrill asking me to go out with her. Texted back to specify a time.
7:45pm: Called Merrill to let her know i was at her dorm.
8-1am: Used my phone to text, get directions, go on facebook, and show other people pictures. Called two friends to see where they were.
Saturday 1/8:
10am: Woke up and couldn’t find my phone. Crawled under my bed to find it and charge it since it was dead. Went back to sleep.
11:30am-1pm: Used my computer to check my email and then watch 4 episodes of skins. Checked the online menu of Mad Greens.
1pm: Called Mad Greens to place a delivery.
1pm-1:45: Cleaned my room while listening to pandora radio from my computer.
2:00pm: Received a phone call from Mad Greens to tell me they were here.
2:32: Recieved a phone call from a solicitor in MN.
3:00- Went to the gym while listening to my ipod.
4:30- Recieved a text from a friend to see what I was doing.
6:00- 7:30- Watched episodes of skins while also talking to some friends on facebook chat.
8:00- Texted craig to see where he was.
8:15- Called Craig to let him know I was at his house.
9:30pm- Noticed phone wasn’t turning on which it tends to do.
9:30-11:30pm- Listened to music on my friends ipod and watched a little TV.
Sunday 1/9
8:30am: Phone alarm went off. I turned it off.
10am: Woke up and made sure all of my alarms were off. Checked my facebook and email.
11am: Watched an episode of skins while eating breakfast.
11:20am: Missed a phone call from a friend. Called him back;no answer.
12:30-2pm- Went to the gym while listening to my ipod.
3pm: Listened to music from itunes and pandora.
4pm-6:30: Went on facebook and chatted with a few friends. Checked my assignments off of blackboard as well as Study Abroad information on webcentral.Used links off of my WRIT class documents section on blackboard to access certain online readings. Watched a literacy narrative for class. Continued to do work while listening to music form my computer.
6:45: Accessed netflix from my computer and watched Brotejrs.
9pm: Finished homework while listening to music.
10pm: Checked the weather online for snow. Talked to friends on facebook while uploading pictures. Wrote my dad an email. Listened to music and created a sleep playlist.
Reflection:
Technology plays an extremely large role in my life whether I realize it or not. It seems that using my computer to talk to friends, listen to music, do research and check assignments have all just become a way of life for me. My phone not only serves as a form of communication, mainly through texting, but it is my map for when I’m lost and my answer when I am unsure (Google). It also allows me to store pictures, know when the next light rail is coming, listen to music, add and subtract, check the ski report and so much more. My phone is very much a part of who I am not because of how much I use it but of what I can use it for. The same can be said about my computer, instead of having to play a separate radio I can play my music on it while talking to friends or typing a paper. I have always known how technology has been important in my life, but I never realized how much I seem to rely on it.
Media&Culture 