Media Consumption Diary
News headlines bombard our daily lives and its greatest effect on consumers is on social media for heavy smartphone users. Because consumers like myself follow a surplus of news organizations on Facebook and Twitter, news headlines are more important than ever in not only grabbing the consumers’ attention, but also having them actually click on the link to the article. Personally I consume media mostly by using my smartphone and computer. As I was recording my media consumption, I noticed that I would spend a lot of time reading headlines, but I would not click on the link if it did not catch my attention or if I had already read it from a different news organization. Additionally, I would not share or retweet a news organization if it did not seem timely or different from other articles.
Over the 48-hour period, I spent time in the early morning and evenings on my smartphone checking for news. I watch TV news in the early mornings because I start my day at the gym and can watch the news broadcast while doing cardio. After I get home, that is when I spend the most time on my smartphone checking for the day’s top stories. Although I am on my Facebook and Twitter during the day, I don’t read as many articles because they are mostly a regurgitation of what I already read in the morning. When there are new updates on stories later on in the day, that is when I tend to consume more news on my smartphone and computer.
The Twitter and Facebooks apps on my smartphone are my main providers of news because that is how I consume news when I’m on the go. Most importantly, everything is in real time so I don’t miss a beat as opposed to watching the morning or evening news broadcasts alone. Between Twitter and Facebook, Twitter is my go-to for news consumption. In my opinion, Twitter is a platform better used for breaking news than Facebook. Both platforms use hashtags, but I find that trending hashtags on Twitter are more representative of the “conversation”. For example, “#MLK” was trending on Monday because it was the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and all news organizations will use the same hashtag for optimal search results. On Tuesday, I searched “#OscarsSoWhite” to find stories pertaining to the lack of diversity in the Oscar nominations. Overall, hashtags make it easier to look for a specific story. On the other hand, Facebook is a platform where people tend to share more personal information and opinions than just news, hence why it’s THE “social network.”
Every major news organization has a Facebook and Twitter account because they recognize the need to adapt to new technology and the way users consume media is rapidly evolving. Although news organizations such as CNN, Fox News and MSNBC have 24-hour news coverage, people are not watching TV throughout the day in comparison to checking their smartphones. The golden rule of news is accuracy, but there is more pressure for news organizations to break the news first on social media because that will be the pace setter in driving more users to their website.
According to the Pew Research Center, 68 percent of smartphone owners use their phone at least occasionally to follow along with breaking news events, with 33 percent who claim to frequently check for news. I believe the future of news will be digital because eventually everyone will own a mobile device whether it is a smartphone or tablet. Furthermore, our social environment is changing and people want to be in the know to join the conversation and be a part of the social community.
