Television Blog Post

Luke Hinton
Tuesday, November
11.4.2008

Before I get started on explaining my experience of tracking my television viewing, I first want to explain my situation. I live and work at a camp, Zephyr Baptist Encampment to be exact, four days out of the week and stay with friends the other three days. On these three days I go to class and work at the University Center on campus. In other words, I work and go to school seven days a week leaving me very little time for recreational or other activities, such as watching television. To make my television tracking process a little more difficult, my television serves as a means of playing video games and watching DVDs only simply because it doesn't pick up any channels. If I watch any television at all during a week it is at my friend’s house or at school during work. I find it hard to sit alone and watch television because I feel as if I am missing some sort of action that those who are not with me are partakeing in.

1. This day was not a typical day in terms of my weekly television viewing because I just don’t make time for it. I have to say that watching television on this night is more television than I watch in my average day. Usually, when I do watch television, Tru TV is my station. However, Animal Planet offered a program very similar to what I normally find on Tru TV, so I left it. Because I rarely find opportunity to watch television, I usually am unaware of programs that are showing and their times. With this in mind, I did not miss any program that I wish I would have seen. I did not record any shows simply because I do not have that option. But still, because I would rather interact than simply watch, another reason I choose other activities over watching television when I am given the opportunity, I most likely would not have recorded any shows for later viewing.

2. Yes, I did watch some television that I was unable to log in my journal. My last shift of the day was in our game room in the University Center. In the game room there is a television that offers many stations to choose from, video games made available for players and viewers alike and computers with online access. I was able to stay tuned into the election updates offered by CNN Live which showed almost throughout the entirety of my shift. I also watched some of the gamers display their skills on some video games through watching the players that came to the game room and by going online and viewing them on Youtude. Typically when I watch television it is at a friend’s house. On this particular night I did not watch any DVDs. During work at the school I remember numerous people come and go from watching the election from the same television that I was watching from, so yes, others were watching television with me tonight.

3. I have to say that I had the hardest time just finding time to watch television. Watching television that I could log on my journal was almost impossible. I really had to go out of my way to force myself to make time for it. The only time that I had was from 11pm to 12am. After that I stopped watching so I could type this blog. Usually when I watch television it is because I am interested in what is on. Because of this I rarely change the channel, doing so only when the program comes to a conclusion. After going through this process I realize that I, surprisingly enough, actually watch less television than what I would typically say that I do. I usually consider segments of programs that I catch throughout a day at school to be "watching television." As for the reliability of journaling in order to keep track of what people are actually watching on television, I believe it is relatively accurate and valid. My thought is that most people are happy to help and are actually quite interested to see their personal results and the results of a population as a whole.