Hey there! In this blog post, I’m excited to share insights from my 24-hour media diary, where I’ll explore my media consumption habits. By tracking when and how I interact with various types of media, my goal is to gain a better understanding of my usage patterns and evaluate the credibility of the sources I rely on.

6:00 a.m. 1/15/2025 My alarm goes off, and like clockwork, I hit snooze for a solid nine minutes while scrolling through Facebook and Instagram. Isn’t this how everyone wakes up?

6:15 a.m. Time to get moving! I open my Spotify app and pump up my morning exercise playlist. Heavy workout playlist.

7:30-9:00 a.m. I’m juggling two laptops now—one for work and one for school. I start with checking my work emails and peeking at my calendar. Meanwhile, my personal laptop is open, and I’m keeping tabs on my school emails while ABC News plays in the background on TV. I start writing and working on any assignments or discussions for the week. I found that I operate best in the morning when I first get up.

9:30 a.m. Fieldwork kicks off, which means lots of driving around Indianapolis. During these long drives, I’m all about the mix—Spotify playlists, engaging podcasts, uplifting tunes, and audiobooks. I also tune in to NPR on 90.1 FM. Oh, and since I’m getting ready for a media, culture, and society class in Cuba, I’m squeezing in some survival Spanish practice. I’m using a PDF through the Spotify app to help me out!

11:00 a.m. I hop onto a Microsoft Teams meeting with my supervisor to discuss the week’s main issues and objectives.

11:30 a.m. After the meeting wraps up, I keep NPR on while I scroll through my phone and grab lunch. I take this time to check Facebook, Instagram, and my emails. I also open a couple of workout apps, such as Train Heroic, which I use to see what I’m coaching for the day, log my meals on the Fat Secret app, and jot down a few thoughts in my journal.

12:20-7:30 p.m. Since I’m flying solo for most of the day, I’m using Spotify a ton to fill my ears with music. If I turn on the radio, it’s usually NPR. I coach later in the evening and keep rocking those Spotify workout playlists while I coach, work out, or head home.

8:00 p.m. Now it’s time to get down to business and crack open my “History of Mass Communication” book and read Chapters 1-3. I’ve got a deep focus playlist going on Spotify in the background, which really helps me retain all that information.

9:12 p.m. I wrap up journaling for the day and set a few emails through Microsoft Outloook to go out first thing in the morning.

10:15 p.m. This is where things can get tricky—sleeping can be tough once school starts up. So, I turn on “No Reservations” with Anthony Bourdain to unwind. It really calms my mind after a busy day. I also spend about 10-20 minutes scrolling through Handshake messages, most of which are just spam.

Reflection

Tracking my daily media usage revealed some eye-opening patterns. Given that I spend most of my day alone, I find that I listen to music, audiobooks, or podcasts on Spotify for about 6-8 hours a day. I also realized I’m on Facebook for about 2 hours and Instagram for around an hour and a half. Plus, I enjoy about an hour of NPR and spend another hour and a half checking and replying to emails.

Most of my media use falls into the categories of entertainment, education, news, and socialization. Honestly, I was expecting to find that I spend more time on classic social sites like Facebook and Instagram, but it turns out that I’m not as glued to them as I thought.

Media Sources

When I think about the media sources I engaged with over the last 24 hours, here are the ones I trust the most:

Spotify/Music/Podcast/Audiobook/Education: I mainly use Spotify for music, but it’s also great for podcasts and educational content like audiobooks for learning Spanish. Overall, It’s a solid all-around resource for me.

Radio News/National Public Radio/NPR: NPR is my go-to for news. I find their reporting reliable, covering global and local stories with a focus on quality. Plus, as a non-profit, they operate independently of corporations and government entities, so I feel good about tuning in.

Hulu/Streaming Service: Hulu has made a name for itself as a reputable source of entertainment and news, especially with its partnership with ABC News, which often runs in the background while I tackle my day.

Keeping track of my media consumption has really encouraged me to take a closer look at my habits and to reflect on how I spend my time, as well as which sources I find reliable. As I progress through my digital media literacy course, I aim to sharpen my media consumption skills, placing greater emphasis on trustworthy sources while considering the impact media has on my daily life and that of my community.