Media In My Life

This is a list of approximate times spent on each type of media per day and week.

1. Reading – books, newspaper, magazines – 1 hr per day – 7 hrs per week
2. Listening to the radio (internet, satellite, traditional) -5 hrs per day – 35 hrs per week
3. Listening to music (via mp3 player, itunes, CD) – 5 hrs per day – 35 hrs per week
4. Watching TV, movies, DVD,etc. – 2 hrs per day – 14 hrs per week
5. E-mail (writing and reading messages) – 1 hr per day – 7 hrs per week
6. Surfing the net.(including Facebook) – 2 hrs per day – 14 hrs per week
7. Playing video games (via the computer or the system) – 1 hr per day – 7 hrs per week

Although these times are approximate times because the hours may vary from day to day and from week to week, it is easy to see that a large concentration of time is spent on media requiring technological devices such as computers, mp3 players, game systems and so on, rather than the traditional books and magazines. As time goes by the advancement in technology has allowed us to use different methods of communicating, such as e-mails. We can now surf the net in seconds and find out any information we are looking for. We can carry with us and listen to our favourite tunes in the mp3 players. Movies and videos can easily be seen on computers and cell phones. The list goes on. We are gradually getting away from such things as reading books because so much information can be accessed using other media. This could be both a good thing and a bad thing. Yes, on one hand, things have become easier for us. The world is at our fingertips. But, on the other hand access of too much information about people or things may not be so good. Personal information is too easily accessible. People are also becoming less personal. We used to have to call people on the phone more often, so we actually got to speak to people. Now we have become reliant on the e-mail instead of the phone call. So, have we alienated ourselves from each other with technology and media, or have we brought each other closer together by being able to access information across the world in seconds?