Are we consuming media through intermediaries? This exercise was a realization of my fragmented – yet concentrated – media consumption. I constantly live under tight deadlines, I switch browsers and leave traces on devices – such as library laptops – that are not my own.  The Triple Revolution, as described by Lee Rainie & Barry Wellman, has shaped the way I get informed. I get 90% of media online, I follow the trends through social networks and “weak ties”, and interact mostly via my mobile phone.

Realizing that my everyday media consumption cannot be measured by one tool (Rescue Time) and due to privacy concerns, I decided to keep a “totally manual media diary”. First, I retrieved my browsing history from my laptop. Then, I added the one from my mobile phone and kept notes about the use of my favorite applications. Finally, I tried to estimate the percentage of my offline media consumption during the week – excluding phone calls – and dividing it in three categories: schoolwork, entertainment and unwinding. The only limitation of this methodology was  the measurement of the exact time I spent at each activity. However, I estimated that I spent 32 hours consuming media online and 21 hours offline.

Observations

* My digital media universe is diverse, yet unevenly distributed. At home, I consume most of my daily stories, news and entertainment through 3 websites: Facebook, Gmail (personal and professional) and Youtube. My first “entry” to mainstream media (The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Boston Globe etc) is through what Henry Jenkins called Spreadable Media or “user-generated content.” The power of “weak ties” (school email list, newsletters, Facebook updates etc) has proven to give access to a great variety of information.

* I tend to use my Android mobile phone in a similar way: through specific applications during specific times (such as the morning commute). In fact, I mostly engage with news stories on my phone between 7 and 10 am. Of course, multitasking reduces my attention to information and the time I spend reading on the device.

*Video is bad on mobile devices. I do not have cable, nor a television at home so video platforms work great for information, trends and entertainment on my laptop. However, they are my least favorite application on my phone.

*Audio applications are the winners of the mobile battle, but they vary according the the operating system (IOS, Android).

* I usually read on a screen. I read news quickly. But do I read what is important? Most of the links I click on, come from “references”: either friends and acquaintances via my Facebook newsfeed or through my schools email list.

* I am still a Sunday morning paper enthusiast. I do not have a print subscription, but I enjoy my digital one. I always print the articles I am really interested in.

* My offline media appetite is satisfied by coursework and entertainment (books, music playlists) is mostly used as a way to unwind and concentrate.

Questions

* Can we measure overall media consumption / satisfaction / loyalty / enjoyment?

* Will mainstream media be able to reach their readers directly? If not, who should determine which stories are promoted on social networking sites?