5 Hour Media Log
Posted on: September 2, 2010
When recording my media usage today, I found that I interact with media mostly for entertainment and ease. I repeatedly accessed websites such as Facebook and Youtube for entertainment, and even used an online version of a textbook because of its accessibility. I also found it easy to multitask when accessing media, for example I fequently text messaged while reading a textbook. I was surprised to discover the small amount of news I encounter when using media. The only way for me to access news was through an actual news website, every other form of media only supplied me with networking or advertising. I was bombarded with advertising on every website I visited, even while listening to music on an online radio station. These websites all displayed advertising based on my demographic (of a young female adult). These advertisements labeled me as someone who would be interested in topics such as online shopping and saving money on textbooks, and then sent advertising message based on these labels. Through this experience, I came to recognize that the media’s excess of advertisement and entertainment coupled with lack of news sends an unfortunate message that life focuses on consumption, not knowledge. I also realized that I interact with media nearly every second of the day, so it has a major impact on my life.
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