My Media Diet

Friday Nov. 18^th:

• Sent and received text messages through out the whole day
• Watched College basketball on TV for about 2 hours
• Used the internet for about 1 hour…Google, Facebook

Saturday Nov 19^th

• Sent and received texts throughout the day
• Worked on Art history paper on my laptop for 2 hours
• Used the internet google…Facebook; for about 2 hours
• Read for Art History: 1 hour

Sunday Nov 20^th

• Sent and received texts, but stayed away from my phone to relax
• Watched TV for 3 hours
• Went online and listened to music for 2 hours on Datpiff.com

Monday Nov. 21^st

• Sent and received texts throughout the day
• Watched College basketball for 4 hours
• Played Playstation 3 for 2 hours

Tuesday Nov. 22^nd

• Sent and received texts throughout the day
• Watched TV for 2 hours
• Worked on Art History paper on my  laptop for 3 hours
• Logged on to Facebook spent about 2 hours on it

By analyzing my media consumption, I have noticed that I spend a lot of my time on my phone sending and receiving texts. I also seem to log on to Facebook every once in awhile when I get bored. I spent more time online and watching TV than reading, but that is understandable since it was Thanksgiving break. I did work on my Art History paper for a couple of the days during the break and I accomplished to finish it even with distractions such as the internet and Facebook.

Before starting my media diet I knew that I spend a lot of my time on my phone, but realized that I’m on it way too much. I have a smart phone so it makes it even worse since I have immediate access to Facebook and the internet, but I have controlled my Facebook usage quite well. Texting is another story though I typically text everyday and throughout the day, as the media diet above indicates. On Sunday I was able to go without texting for most of the day and it actually felt a lot better than when I’m constantly texting. It made me realize that I depend on my phone way too much and that I should cut back on texting, sometimes I even consider getting rid of my smart phone but its difficult when most phones are smart phones today. Another thing that I noticed is that over break I didn’t play video games as much as thought I would and I was actually able to finish my Art History paper. That is one positive thing from the media diet and I was also able to stay focused on the essay even though I was using my laptop to complete the assignment. The only time I watch is when there is a good basketball game on TV and with the NBA lockout I’ve just been watching college basketball. Typically that is all I watch and maybe some X-Factor every once in awhile. Also, whenever I spend time online I usually just listen to music or look for new shoes since I’m a sneakerhead. Of course I use the web for homework as well such as homework for this class, but other then that I use the web for music purposes.

Overall my media diet has helped me and got me to understand that I rely on my phone too much and that I need to cut back on text messaging. Everything else is pretty much under control since I don’t watch too much TV and only use the web for homework and mostly music. 

Technology and Social Interaction

Technology has advance greatly over the years and now that almost everyone can send text messages from their phones, communication has been greatly done through text. From a personal point of view I find that technology has a negative impact on everyday face to face interaction. I see people constantly on their phones even while they’re walking on the street or sitting down at a restaurant. Technology I think separates us from reality at times and has us glued to our devices such as phones and game devices. It is difficult to have face to face conversations with people in our society when everything seems to revolve around technology. Sometimes I find myself talking to someone and at the same time texting another person, which is not a respectful thing to do. Other people who I talk to sometimes tend to do the same thing therefore stating no interest or no focus on the conversation that is being held. More generally technology helps us in many ways of course such as with school, work, travel and other important aspects in life. 

Using the web to meet other people isn’t a bad idea and I find it helpful at times. Using Facebook can be helpful in meeting new people and I find it effective. Even though I've never used an online dating site, they seem to be effective when it comes to meeting new people and building relationships and I think that it mostly depends on the person using it. I think those two can be helpful if you are trying to find someone to be in a relationship with, but sites such as Craiglist shouldn't be used for dating purposes. Craigslist is not a site where you can trust people when it comes to dating and I believe that it is built solely for people to post ads and for others to buy things. Message boards are another way people can meet but it is difficult to see what the person looks like through message boards. It is a good way to meet people and interact with others if you like communicating online. Online gaming can be another source for meeting people, but I don’t think that it is as effective in finding a relationship for most people. Not everyone in the real world plays video games online and therefore you are not going to find your ideal type by interacting through video games. I believe that online gaming is not a viable way of creating meaningful relationships and that we turn to online gaming when we are having trouble meeting new people in real life. Maybe someone who has poor communication and social skills turns to online gaming to find relationships, because they might have better writing skills and don’t feel any pressure while online. 

I feel that as a society we should still focus on face to face interaction and we should have “real” spaces where people can talk about everyday things and life. I’m not saying that we should get rid of technology, but we can minimize our usage and focus on communicating with others in person. This way we don’t lose our communication skills and at the same time we can be developing our communication skills. Technology is definitely needed in our society, but we should not forget that strong relationships are built through face to face interaction.