Media Use and Production Diary

Beginning from the 17^th to the 27^th of March, I logged my personal media use, considering time periods in which I engaged in my desired media and the different forms of media that were used. The results of this 10 day logging indicate particularly strong trends to engage with music, radio and online media.

The following graph summarises my complete media usage that I logged over the ten day period.

Analysis:

The most noticeable trend is my consistent engagement in the mediums of Facebook, Music, Radio, Internet and mobile use on a day-to-day basis. These findings suggest not only on a heavy reliance on these resources to keep up-to-date-information but reflect a wider social behavioural trend. This is clear when they are compared to the media usage of students from JOUR1111. Students indicated a strong inclination to use social networking sites, primarily Facebook as a social media source, with 95.4% of the cohort doing so. Furthermore, the results show that I engaged in internet use every day over the trial period. This is also reflective of a broader social pattern, as valuable media resources such as news are readily available through this medium. Most of my online time was spent social networking and accessing music through LastFm.com.

The predominant media sources that were used over the designated time period included online media such as Facebook, LastFm.com and General Music listening via PC. This graph summarises my consistent day-to-day media usage, this time showing the amount of hours spent with each media type. I listened to the radio consistently everyday in half-hour doses, granting me access to news and music. Similarly, 82.9% of the JOUR1111 cohort indicated to listen to the radio in their car. This trend indicates that people tend to make use of media resources while on the run for efficiency in their everyday lives. For me, the radio acted as the predominant medium which I accessed news. Furthermore, I am also included in the 128 people to spend 2-3 hours on the internet every day.

Overall Significance of Media Diary:

 In conclusion, this information demonstrates how and when vast media sources are used. My media usage diary reflected a strong tendency to engage predominantly with online media and music for the purpose of leisure, information or news. Moreover, my chosen media types correlate strongly with the survey information collected by fellow peers in JOUR1111.

Text and Picture Stories( Reflections on Lectures 3 & 4)

The third lecture welcomed the presence of print journalist Skye Doherty, who shared some insightful ideas as to this weeks primary topic, text. She ran through the fundamentals of text when it came to factual storytelling. The Inverted Pyramid structure, headline, picture and main body of text are all components to achieving this. What I found most interesting about this lecture was the point that journalism involves engagement with various social media. This was touched on in the first tutorial, where my tutor posed the question whether people who publish things on the internet are practicing proper, factual and trustworthy journalism.

I really enjoyed the fourth lecture! Perhaps this was because it was streaming with pictures and pretty colours. This lecture touched on the importance of picture stories and how one lucky snap, if taken carefully and at the right time, can express a thoursand words. I think everyone sitting in the lecture will agree with me that the most rivetting aspect was the brief video that demonstrated the power of photoshop editing and digital manipulation. That's right, with the help of extensive make-up sessions and some "minor" face editing on the computer, anyone could look as emaculate as Audrey Hepburn. Elements that influence a photo include:
-Frame
-Focus
-POV
-Timing(Capturing "The Moment"
-Exposure

New News

The second lecture kicked off with a primary focus on New News, and delved into the vast mediums of mass communication in the world today. "Old Media", or as Bruce described as a "media platform derived from an industrial paradigm" encompasses types of media created in the late 19th and  20th centuries. These include newspapers, radio, television and magazines. Perhaps the most compelling aspect of today's lecture I found was the point that we have grown into a society particularly dominated by the web. It's Specific uses and manifestations were discussed. The first was web 1.0, which aims to provide information on the web with a big focus on companies. Web 2.0 places a strong emphasis on social groups, networking and the concept that users are producers. Web 3.0 or the "semantic web" places more emphasis on the individual and specific content delivery on the web. This is achieved through the process of meta-tagging.  Search history and websites enable the internet to target specific audiences with different kinds of information and advertising. I think a  primary limitation of this aspect to the web is its rigid nature of content delivery. It forced me to think over a couple of questions in my head. Is the news I receive on the net of a quality nature? Web 3.0 and online news is quite confined, which is a major limitation in my view. Perhaps "Old Media" is a more appropriate way if we wish to remain better informed.

This video, although quite cynical, really encapsulates the nature of the web and its ability to keep us all connected. It cracked me up, well worth a look!

The Beginning of JOUR1111

History has shown  I'm usually a  punctual person. I swear this semester something has slid ajar in my brain box. I feel completely unproductive and unmotivated. Luckily however as I stumbled 15 minutes late into Schonell Theatre for my initiation into the (hopefully)wonderful and limitless world of journalism, I'm welcomed by what appears to be a course populated by 80% female company. Bulls eye baby! I take my seat, gather my bearings and adjust my attention away from this seemingly abundant pool of Oestrogen and  onto the first lectures content.
The first lecture kicked off with introductions to the course and outlined what to expect in JOUR1111. Philosophy of journalism was discussed, and the lecturers and tutors for the semester were introduced along with the designated tutorial weeks. Assessment requirements were also touched on, and my first impression of this was its highly broken up nature, with most assessment pieces consisting of a 15% value each. This component of the course I find myself drawn to. I think it helps foster sustained focus over the term, which in turn will be beneficial as I'll be kept busy. Like most introductory lectures, this one was brief and provided an overview of what to expect in Journalism. It seems to be a pretty interesting course and I'm quite looking forward to it.

Salutations!

Howdy all! Out of the hope that I don't bore you all to death, this is my first time doing this kind of thing, so please do withhold your judgments and try avoid the temptation to label me as a 'noob'. So here it is, my first post as a blogger! My name is Joseph McLaughlin and I'm about as aussie as you an get. I've lived in Brisbane my entire life and currently make bucks working at Network Video in Paddington. This year I embark upon an arts/journalism degree out my fascination of the media and its many branches. In the past few weeks I've experienced a perpetual desire to procrastinate through skating and music playing(drums and guitar), if that's any apt excuse for my delayed start to this thing!