Media Diary & Reflection

My media diary. Please click to enlarge.

One’s media diary can lead to many conclusions about one’s media usage. In my own media diary, I have not included internet usage as a form of media, because the amount of websites I have visited throughout the week and the amount of hours I have spent on the internet are too large to record. My media diary therefore consists of the films and episodes of television shows I have watched throughout this particular week and it also includes one radio show I listened to.

The first thing one would notice by looking at my media diary is that I watch at least one film and one TV series episode every day. This is because of multiple factors. First of all, it is my own pursuit to watch as many films as possible, as the total amount of films I need to watch in order to gain enough experience as a film student is immense. 

Besides that, watching films and TV series is probably my main form of daily entertainment. One could probably describe me as kind of a loner. I do not go out as much as other people do and sometimes I even prefer to be on my own. This is also apparent through the fact that I watched almost all these films and TV episodes at home. I like to feel devoted (in both a passive and an active way) to the arts I love, such as that of film. Therefore, one can realise why watching films and TV shows is so important to me, whether it can be seen as a way of cultural development or simply as pure entertainment.

Judging from the media diary, there is no particular film genre I have shown preference to, but it is interesting to examine what kind of TV shows I have watched throughout the week. It has been almost exclusively animation and in particular the famous shows The Simpsons and Family Guy. There is a reason why I watch at least one episode of these shows every single day. It is firstly because they last only twenty minutes and secondly because they usually request no sentimental attachment, as they only aim to make you laugh. This way, you can watch them any time of day, no matter what mood you are in or how much time you have. By doing this, it feels like I have almost got addicted to them and I always need to watch at least one episode a day. As one would probably realise by looking at my media diary, this has almost become a typical procedure. I always watch an episode in the afternoon while having lunch, because I feel like I need to somehow distract my mind while eating, with those episodes being the easiest and most entertaining way to do this. Also, it is very usual for me to watch them right before I go to bed. I am not sure why I feel the need for this, but it could be seen either as a way of slightly postponing to turn off the computer and go to bed or as a way to distract my mind before I sleep.

Had I been keeping a media diary for longer than just a week, there would have certainly been more things to discuss and a broader understanding of my media usage. What I analysed above, however, is what I consider the main points in a week’s media diary.