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University of Queensland 2012

The growing presence of social media and its implications on university students
Assessment #1 Personal Media use and Production Diary

S4294358 Hong Linh Diep 3/30/2012

Introduction
Media in the journalism context is; the means of communications that reach or influence people widely. What is media? Media is the usage of communication devices to communicate with a wider audience. Its what we see and hear on television and radio, what we read in magazines and newspapers and what we now find more and more in social media. In todays increasingly technological age, media can be accessed not just from these platforms, but it can also be accessed anywhere, such as from our laptops, tablets and mobile phones. The purpose of this assignment is to compare and analyse our own personal media usage and production over ten days with that of the rest of the JOUR1111 students, then to analyse this behaviour, and explore the relationship between media producing and consuming and how this relates to the field of journalism and communication today. General Characteristics Im a domestic 19 year old female student which makes me part of the 37.4% of 18-20 year old students and one of the 76% of female students in the course. Being part of Generation Y as well as being female has made me more susceptible to the technological changes made in the last 10 years. Im connected to the internet for at least three hours a day on Facebook, reading the news, shopping and banking online etc. Pie Graph Representation of AGE in JOUR1111 Pie Graph Representation of GENDER in JOUR1111

male 24%

17-18 18-20 20-25 25-35 35-45 45-55 50+


female 76%

Where do I Get my News? The blue-ribboned news platforms are where I get my news from. I dont use twitter as a news source because its still quite new to me and I find other sources are more comprehensive. My view is reflected in the results, as Twitter is least used. Television and online news are most popular options which reflect the shift from 10 years ago, when online news was non-existent and newspapers were the predominant source of news. Facebook is now just as popular a source of news as newspapers. This observation reflects the increase in Facebook users and the uprising of social media.

JOUR1111 Cohort's Usage of News Platforms


Other Facebook Twitter Radio TV Online News Newspaper 0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% Newspaper Online News TV Radio Twitter Facebook Other

Social Media Use Im part of the 37% of blog users, and the 29% of users that didnt have a Twitter account prior to this course, but Im part of the overwhelming 95% of students with at least one Facebook account. These observations show how essentially everyone has a Facebook account and how embedded it is into our daily lives.

Visual Representation of Number of Students Using Online Social Media


Social Media Platofmrs

Blog

37.0%

63.0%

Twitter

70.8%

29.20%

Facebook 0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0%

94.7%

5.3%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0% 100.0%

Percentage of Students that have these Media Platforms

Internet Usage Below is a representation of how I spend my time on the internet and shows the vast majority of tasks that I can now do online. Approximately 10 years ago, internet usage was limited to emails and some research. Today, more media platforms are converging so I can now bank and shop online. Instead of calling someone by phone, I can Facebook, Instant Message or Email. Rather than going to the library I can research and find all my resources online.

How I Spend My Time on the Internet


Facebook Twitter Youtube Reading Blogs Reading Online News Emailing Instant Messaging (IM) General Surfing and Browsing Banking Shopping Studying and Research Listening to Music/Online Radio Watching TV Programs

Television Usage The pie graph below represents how much time students spend watching TV. Personally, I spend 1-2 hours per day watching television, much like the 30% of the cohort. Usually an hour on channel 10s The Project and I try to catch channel 7s Sunrise in the mornings when I have Breakfast. This behaviour allows me to stay updated with the daily happenings. I think the limited time I spend watching television is a result of being a university student and the increasing capabilities of mobile phones.

Television Usage of the JOUR1111 Cohort


4.9% 1.6% 5.10% 14.6% 26.90% 0 Hours Less than 1 Hour 1 Hour 1-2 Hours 2-3 Hours 3-4 Hours 29.9% 17.1% More than 4 Hours

Smart Phones & Applications Im part of the considerably small percentage (23%) of students that dont have a smart phone. Its clear from the survey results that if you do have a smart phone that you are 95% likely to have the Facebook app. This finding might be one of the reasons why I dont spend as much time on Facebook and Twitter as I dont have them as applications on my phone.

Results Analysis
From the results above I can say that the majority of students have at least a blog, Twitter and Facebook account. This shows how were digitally connected and aware of what is happening around us. However we are more connected with our own generation, were reconnecting with old friends and class mates but not so much with the generations below or above us. With the continued use of internet-based platforms well see a decrease in real life interaction and an increased reliance of the internet. Another serious implication is the decreasing use of newspapers. The result above is potentially biased, because this is a journalism course. Therefore we can assume that the number of newspaper readers is in fact lower. Implications include decreasing journalistic careers and force those working in media to branch out and acquire more skills. For example television news now has to be more entertaining rather than presenting just the news. The field of journalism needs to find solutions to the solution of social media. Instead of trying to replicate it, we should find alternative ways as old media; such as televisions and newspapers can never compete with the instant capabilities of social media. Perhaps we can produce new mediums in the field or newer techniques in delivering the news. Social media is not a bad thing after all, its bringing more people together, and were all becoming more aware of what is happening around us. For me personally, Facebook has allowed me to find old classmates and the internet today allows me to shop in my favourite stores overseas.

Conclusion
My media usage and consumption reflects those of my generation, where everyone has a Facebook account, where we connect to the internet several times a day. Were all communicating much more amongst each other and everyone has a voice. Perhaps the future of journalism may rely solely on digital communication in the future.

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