For this assignment, I tracked my media habits over 24 hours. I was surprised at how much of my day is wrapped up in media without me even noticing. Here’s what a typical day looked like for me:
Morning:
6:15 AM – My alarm goes off. I contemplated hitting snooze, but realized I didn’t have time for that. After waking up, I checked my phone and turned it off of do not disturb. I scrolled through all of my notifications, such as text messages, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, etc., and got out of bed.
6:30 AM – I played Apple Music while I got ready for school.
7:00 AM – I got in my car, shot my fiancé a text that I was leaving, and left for school. I again played Apple Music while I made the drive to Downtown Phoenix for school.
8:00 AM – I get to school, park in my parking garage, and head to my first class. In my class, I had Safari open on my Mac. Here, I was on Canvas and other sites on the Internet for this class. I also had to respond to a few emails.
9:50 AM – My first class ends, so I go on break. On my break, I respond to text messages and emails.
11:30 AM – My next class begins. In this class, I am back using Canvas and other sites on the Internet.
Afternoon:
1:20 PM – Class ends, so I have another break. I go get some lunch at Rush Bowls and use my Apple Pay. I scroll through Instagram and TikTok, and see friends. I respond to my text messages and called my mom.
3:00 PM – My final class of the day starts. In this class, I used OneNote to take notes and Canvas. I also was on Google Docs completing an in class assignment for the course.
4:15 PM – Class ends, so I head to the parking garage. I respond to text messages, turn on my navigation to find the best route with the least amount of traffic. I turn on my Apple Music, and head home.
5:00 PM – I arrive at home, and head inside. I see my family and my dogs and catch up with all of them. I then scroll through TikTok, and make a post on my Instagram story.
Evening:
6:00 PM – My fiancé gets home from baseball practice, and we catch up. We both do our homework on Canvas.
7:30 PM – We doordash some food because we have a lot of homework, but I did take a break and ordered some stuff on Shein and Amazon.
8:30 PM – I finish my homework, and reply to my friends on text. I take a shower and play Apple Music in the background on my bluetooth speaker. I then get ready for bed.
9:30 PM – I get in bed and my fiancé and I play iMessage games together. Of course, I usually win. We also watch YouTube or Netflix. We chose YouTube for the night.
10:00 PM – My reminder for my medications go off, so I take those. I set my alarm for the next morning, check my phone one more time, and turn out the lights.
10:15 PM – I head to bed, and know I will pretty much do it all over again the next day.
Tracking my media use made me realize how often I switch between apps without thinking. I use media for everything: staying connected with my people, entertaining myself with apps, learning for school, and even shopping. Music is also a huge part of my day, playing in the background. Overall, I realize I spend more time on media than I thought. This exercise reminded me how dependent we can be on screens and how important it is to be intentional with my media habits.
See you next blog!
Xoxo,
Bentley
Bentley Yanke 
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