My Total Media Exposure

What is media Exposure?

Media exposure is something we rarely consider and yet we are continually bombarded by media every waking second of every day. Even while I write this blog for example there’s; the logos on the actual computer, on screen there’s various icons and adverts jostling for my attention, the pen on the table, the bottle of water, the clothing of the person walking by, the poster’s on the wall, the radio. I’ve made my point, I’m exposed. We all are! We only ever realize it when we sit back to think about it. How about trying to put a figure on your total media exposure for the year? Well way back in 2006, according to  Sami Beg, of ABC news, in America, “adults and teens will spend nearly 5 months (3,518 hours) next year watching television, surfing the internet, reading daily newspapers and listening to personal music devices.” It’s a little unsettling and that was only for 2007. Where are we now? I’m sure you’ve begun your own guestimation of your personal media exposure. Before you give yourself an aneurism we get onto an easy way to break it down (the delicious pie chart) soon. Firstly though we must realize we are constantly plugged into the media. It’s impossible to escape but you still have the respite of sleep, at least for now!

My personal Media Exposure: Let’s break it down!

In order to understand the extend of my own personal media exposure I have estimated the amount of hours a week I spend exposed to the media (I’m aware of) listed in the pie chart below and yes there’s more.

The graph is based on an estimated 86 hours of exposure. I guess the most unusual aspect of my exposure would be a relatively low amount of time spent watching TV and on my phone compared to the more traditional media of radio. As readers of my other blogs may already know I don’t own a smart phone, I use my phone purely for calls and texts, and as a time keeping device. My high exposure to radio is simply due to the fact that it’s on in my place of work. My low engagement with television can be attributed to the fact that I do tend to watch TV online.

Similarly social media and e-mailing have taken much of the burden off my traditional mobile phone. It is clear that the internet is the dominant force in my media exposure.

It has become clear that my media exposure is far greater than I would have ever realized. I wonder to what extent it affects my day to day life. To be honest it’s hard to know until I reduce my exposure. Some benefits of limiting media exposure provide some interesting insight on how to go about it. I think it’s something we should all try. I’ll give it a go and keep you posted!