Background

Hey gang, this post is for another COMMS 101 assignment, which required me to complete a media consumption diary and write 500 words analyzing my own behavior. I can’t tell if this will be a fun little study or one of those “sit down and think about what you’ve done” type punishments, but I guess we’ll find out!

The Day in Question: 11:00 AM October 6th, 2023 to 11:00 AM October 7th, 2023.

11:00 AM to 12:40 PM: Woke up, ate a nutritious breakfast of saltines and tepid water while checking my email and replying to a text from my mom. Then I sent my boyfriend Ethan a “Good morning” text, and read three chapters of The Five Minute Linguist edited by Myrick and Wolfram in preparation for LING 110 (Introduction to Human Language). After completing the reading, I spent some time scrolling through Pinterest, adding ideas to various boards of mine (mostly regarding original creative writing projects).

12:40 PM to 2:13 PM: Listened to music on my way to class at the JFSB. Scribbled a mix of sketches and lecture notes in my journal during class. Received a “Good afternoon” text in response from Ethan as I left the cell-serviceless JFSB basement. Decided to reply once I was back at my dorm, and listened to music on the way.

2:13 PM to 3:50 PM: Replied to Ethan, texting him for seven minutes before deciding to call him to ask a question because I was tired of typing, which he answered and then asked if he could call me back in a few minutes (I said yes). He called me back at 2:35 PM and we talked for 40 minutes while I drew the title card for this post and he cleaned his room and practiced sketching a stuffed animal we co-parent, then at 3:15 PM we switched to video calling through Snapchat so that we could see each other’s art. We chatted over the video call until 3:50 PM when I said I had to go to get ready for my friend Laura who was going to pick me up at 4:00.

3:50 PM to 5:15 PM: Gathered my purse and some snacks, then spent about an hour and fifteen minutes scrolling TikTok while waiting for Laura to pick me up, and saved 37 photos because they made me laugh and I thought I might send them to Ethan, my sister Katie, and/or my brother Will.

5:15 PM to 9:46 PM: listened to Laura’s favorite radio station KRCL on the way to her friend Sergio’s house were we binged the first season of Loki, which I had already seen but was down to rewatch because I enjoyed it the first time and cherish any opportunity to leave my dorm and hang out with friends. Got a call from my mom at 7:56 PM because she happened to look at my location and it was a residence she did not recognize. I did not accept the call, rather I replied with the preset message “Sorry, I can’t talk right now.” I then explained I was at a friend’s house watching Loki and she replied “I was just worried,” so I sent “I’m good 👍🏻” At 8:40 PM my friend Alyssa called and we planned for her and her cousin Hannah to pick me up so I could sleepover at Alyssa’s apartment. We texted to confirm the time and address and Alyssa texted that they were running late, which turned out to be because they were picking up Madi, a fellow former roommate who it was a fun surprise to see! At 9:27 PM I texted Ethan for about three minutes to ask what his favorite kind of apple was, confirming my suspicion that it was green, and I told him I would try to call him later that night.

9:46 PM to 11:19 PM: Hannah, Alyssa, Madi, and I got dinner at In N Out, then drove back to Alyssa’s apartment where we ate and talked in the car until around 11:00 PM. At 10:58 PM my mom called again to make sure I was okay because I was at a place she didn’t recognize, so I told her who I was with and that I was fine. I half-jokingly asked her if she was calling to make sure I wasn’t out dating some 30-year-old again (referencing a guy I used to hang with earlier this year). She half-jokingly replied in the affirmative.

11:19 PM to 11:50 PM: We left Alyssa at her apartment to finish homework while Hannah drove back to Heritage Building 2 so Madi could go to sleep and I could get ready to sleep at Alyssa’s. Hannah dropped me off at Alyssa’s place around 11:50 PM.

11:50 PM to 3:00 AM: Sent Ethan a message over Snapchat around 12:00 PM asking if he was free to call while Alyssa wrapped up the last of her homework. While waiting for his reply, I remembered how I declined my sister Katie’s call six days prior while I was on a video call with Ethan, using the preset message “Can I call you later?” to which she replied “ya totally!!” and I said “love u [Smiling Face with Hearts emoji] ✌🏻” and proceeded to forget about calling her back. So at 12:07 AM October 7th, I sent “hey i love u sry i never called u back 😬 fr my b” and “any chance i could call u this weekend?” to which she replied “yaa! let’s go!” and that she was free at the moment. I called her at 12:09 AM for one minute before she asked if I wanted to switch to FaceTime so we could see each other, I said yes and we chatted over FaceTime from 12:11 to 12:31 AM, during which I invited Alyssa to join the conversation and Katie included her girlfriend Inez too. I noticed Ethan replied to my Snapchat message midway through the call, but by the time I signed off, it’d gotten too late and he sent a “Goodnight” text explaining that he had to go to sleep to be ready for work the next morning. I replied with a “Goodnight” text, apologizing for messing up the timing. Then Alyssa and I hung out on her couch, chatting until we fell asleep around 1:30 AM [Update: just found this photo I took of us at 2:24 AM and I’m guessing we were up for at least another half hour. So… 3:00 AM final answer. Don’t tell my mom].

1:30 AM to 10:00 AM: No media. Alyssa and I slept.

10:00 AM to 12:35 PM: Woke up and stayed bundled up in a blanket on Alyssa’s couch while she video called her fiancé to discuss honeymoon travel plans. Texted Ethan “Good morning” at 10:27 AM, sharing a fun dream I had that included him, his grandfather, Alyssa and me. We exchanged memes we’d saved to our camera rolls until 11:23 AM, when I stopped to eat the food I ordered Alyssa and myself for breakfast from Costa Vida through DoorDash, which arrived at 11:21 AM. A friend of Alyssa’s let me ride along to the Provo Temple where they had scheduled a session, and I walked home from 11:42 AM to 12:35 PM listening to music.

Reflection:

The majority of the media I used was with the purpose of entertainment and social connection: primarily making plans to meet in person, quelling boredom with facts and jokes people find noteworthy enough to share online, and sending memes, jokes, and text posts to friends as a way to amuse them and help us keep in touch.

Over the course of the day I engaged in a range of media including: Gmail, iMessage, phone calls, FaceTime, Pinterest, TikTok, Snapchat, a textbook, and good ole fashioned writing and drawing.

I noticed that I use media primarily to fill up uncertain amounts of time I spend waiting for planned events (e.g. class, social hangouts) to begin. When traveling on foot, I prefer to listen to music, and when sitting down to wait, I prefer more visually engaging media like Pinterest and TikTok. I noticed I also use media to stay safe and geographically visible for my mom, who worries about me in that classic, loving, motherly way.

Regarding the binge watching session: Through viewing media together, we were able to comment and ask questions, learning more about each other through the process. For example, I joked that Loki reminded me of my father and I didn’t know how to feel about that, and Sergio agreed and mentioned that he could relate. I also found out from Laura and Sergio that season two recently came out, which presented an opportunity for us to make more plans to hang out so we could binge it too.

I realized that I use media for practical as well as recreational reasons, which I thought I might feel guiltier about indulging in, which brings me to my initial query: was this analysis fun or punitive? Sure it was a little boring to put together at times, but it was a worthwhile experience as I became more aware of my media habits and my reasoning behind them.

I feel somewhat relieved to say that I don’t regret my media usage from October 6th to 7th. It was interesting to reflect on the choices I made and the social connection I experienced as a result. Thanks for reading!