Me and the Media

Social Networks I Use - 

1. Snapchat
2. Instagram
3. Twitter
4. Facebook

How does the Media affect my day? 

I spend around 3 hours a day on my phone, around 4 hours listening to music and approximately 1-3 hours watching television. When I wake up the first thing that I am likely to do is check my snapchat, send and receives streaks which makes me feel like people want to speak to me, however, people are more interested in having a number next to their name, over speaking to them. I then scroll through Facebook, tagging people in memes and liking posts. By the time I have done this, it is time for me to get up and get on the bus. Once on the bus, I will listen to my music, which ranges between pop and rap, all the way to school. There would be a 25% chance of me engaging in a full conversation much before 8.30. On the way to school I will scroll through, Instagram, Facebook again, and check the daily mail. In which I engross myself in celebrity news, followed by a glimpse at the world news. Once at school, I will reply to any last minute messages or snapchats before going to my lessons. In between lessons I will check my phone, incase I have received any messages that are urgent aka. a timer on a snap streak. I will usually be on my phone during lunch, after lunch and once the day has finished I will then get back onto the bus and repeat the process of checking my phone, and listening to loud music. However, in the afternoon I do have the tendency to engage in more conversation than I did in the morning. Once I get home, I listen to my music whilst finishing any work or homework. Although, I am not a heavy television worker, I am more likely to waste my time scrolling through social media sites, over watching the TV.
Other Media Apps I use 
Although, a lot of my time is spent on communicational sites, I do also use other forms of media in my everyday life. Such as, Unidays, Barclays, Boohoo, Missguided, IPlayer and Youtube. All of these are apps that I frequently look at. Some of them are in order to buy something quickly, and via my phone which makes me able to do it whilst I am on the go. A lot of the apps I use are to make my life easier, and to do simple jobs much more quickly and efficiently. For example, being able to bank via my phone means I check my balance, transfer money etc. without even having to be near a bank. Having all of these services available, makes it incredibly easy to be part of the Media without having to even think about it. 

How does the Media affect me? 

The media definitely affects me subconsciously, I would never say that I feel as though I have had to change because of the way the media makes me feel. However, this wouldn't be true, when I think in to it, I definitely feel affected by it. The way media portrays celebrities and females makes me think about how I portray myself to others. I have become more self-conscious, to some extent, of having the best clothes, makeup and making sure I look a certain way is something I am guilty of. The news often endorses celebrities more than what is going on in the world. It has definitely effected the way I check the media, I am more likely to look to see what Kim Kardashian is up to, over checking on world issues.

How much time do I spend using the Media? 

After looking into how much time I use Media, of some form, I can see that it is a big part of my life. Music is my most used type of Media, after looking into how much time I spend using it in 7 day I realised it was 15 hours. 

How Media theories relate to my Media story! 

Richard Dyer's theory does reflect my actions with social media, I will usually spend time scrolling through purely because I am bored or lonely. If I feel lonely, by tagging my friends in memes, or posting old photos I feel connected with them. If I feel bored, and then post a photo the likes and comments creates excitement for me. It is almost a way to pass the time. I also agree the different groups have different priorities, such as for me checking my social media is something I must do however, someone working in London may need to check their emails. This also relates to the idea of producers making things that will appeal to me, I am someone who will use social media therefore advertising it in areas I will look is going to encourage me to use that form. Another theorist is John Hartley, who looked at social groups to under the media. He spoke about social-demographics, for instance for someone like myself who is middle classed, white, affluent and privately educated will change the way I look at the media. For instance, I can spend more time online shopping, and can afford to pay for monthly subscriptions to watch or listen to Media. Therefore, my experience with the Media is different to someone, for instance working class, who may not be able to have a luxury media experience like I can.