MEDIA LOG
Time
Location –
people
Sample entry:
6 -6:30 p.m.
(30 minutes)
Sample
entry:
My
house w/
girlfriend
Medium or
media
Sample entry:
Television
Description of content with brief summary of main characters & target audience
Sample entry: Friends, a sitcom about 6 friends in their 20s in NY. All are white.
Target audience is probably people in their 20s or 30s. Saw car commercials
and food commercials during the show.
MEDIA LOG
Time
Location –
people
Medium or
media
Description of content with brief summary of main characters & target
audience
MEDIA LOG
Time
Location –
people
Medium or
media
Description of content with brief summary of main characters & target
audience
MEDIA LOG
Time
Location –
people
Medium or
media
Description of content with brief summary of main characters & target
audience
JOU110/Kahookele
Assignment 1: Media Log & Narrative
Part 1: Media can be found just about everywhere. We are so immersed in it that we may not
be fully aware of our own consumption of media. This project offers you the opportunity to
track your media consumption. Find out exactly how much time you spend consuming media,
where and with whom you are when you engage the media, and finally, what kind of media
content you “allow” into your life.
For five days (consecutive, preferably) document every time you engage the media. I have
attached a sample log form with one example entry that you may use for reference. Or develop
your own format for tracking your media consumption. Your log must include these important
details: date and time of day, total amount of time per entry (i.e. number of minutes or hours,)
location, people, medium or media, description of content (brief summary plus description of
main characters and target audience.) Carry your log with you so you can jot notes along the
way. Don’t think you’ll remember at the end of the day or the next day because you’ll find it
difficult to remember each instance. You will need to turn in this log.
If you like, feel free to use the EXCEL log on Blackboard or anything similar to it.
Part 2: Keep your log for five days (in a row, preferably.) Then, once you’ve completed your
media log, you will need to reflect on and evaluate the data you’ve collected. Write a narrative
explaining your perceptions about your media consumption as well as the overall media log
experience. Pay attention to the following questions:
*After examining your log, how did the ACTUAL amount of media output you regularly
consumed compare to your PERCEPTION of the amount of media you thought you regularly
consumed?
*On what medium do you spend the most time (radio, Internet, television, magazines,
recordings, newspapers, film, books)? Why? Add the number of minutes for each category and
note the breakdown.
*Do you tend to consume media alone or with others?
*Was the content you consumed valuable?
*Focusing on your news media diet, what sources do you get your news from based on your
log? Why do you trust your news sources? Do you tend to consume the news alone or do you
talk to other people about the news? Explain.
*Anything about your media consumption you’d like to change?
Your short essay should be 500 words, double-spaced.
? Turn in your narrative along with your media log by the deadline for this assignment.
? Email the short essay to me before class by the end of day on Sunday of Week 5 for full
possible points. Anything received after 8 AM with earn fewer and fewer deadline
points.
There are 100 points possible. The grading criteria for this assignment are as follows:
Media Log = 35 points
? 5 days
? Complete: Includes details as described in this assignment
Narrative = 65 points
? Addresses questions on page 1/Part 2 of this assignment
? Draws conclusions using thoughtful analysis, not superficially
? Met deadline (5 points if met; 0 if late)
? Spelling, grammar, punctuation (10 points)
Project Hint
Students who write down every magazine they read, every newspaper they pick up, every radio
station/song they listen to, every movie they go to, every television show they watch, every
book they read (includes your text books, don’t forget,) and every Internet journey they take do
much better on this first assignment than students who try to remember things from memory
and forget to take notes.
Also, since your log is required as part of the assignment, not having any or few entries to turn
in, having poor notes, or losing them during this project and not turning any in with your paper,
will not give you much material to work with and makes the conclusion much more difficult for
you when writing, so the whole project will seem worthless in the end. You will be surprised by
the results if you follow take good notes about your behavior.
Possible points Score
5
10
Criteria
Met Deadline
Grammar, spelling, punctuation
10
10
5
10
Your log included these details:
date and time
location & people,
medium/media
description of content
10
10
10
10
10
Narrative should have included:
ACTUAL VS PERCEPTION use
Most used media
News sources & Content value
Social aspects
Potential changes
100
total
Possible points Score
5
10
Criteria
Met Deadline
Grammar, spelling, punctuation
10
10
5
10
Your log included these details:
date and time
location & people,
medium/media
description of content
10
10
10
10
10
Narrative should have included:
ACTUAL VS PERCEPTION use
Most used media
News sources & Content value
Social aspects
Potential changes
100
total
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