Media Diary From ALICE DUVERT

I chose to compare my use of media when I was in Finland and when I came back in France. Indeed, I noticed some changes due to the languages, my activities etc...
Actually, I had the feeling that my laptop was the only communication medium in Finland. Every morning I was used to check my emails and the news in France. I didn’t miss France that much but one year ago, I decided to chose “Le Monde.fr” (one of the most famous newspapers in France) as my home page when I surf the Internet. Thus, even if I don’t feel like reading the French news, I briefly see the home page of Le Monde several times in the day. Usually I just read the main titles, or if I am especially interested in a article I read it more carefully. I really like keeping myself informed through the internet because you feel free to make your own selection and focus on what your are interested in.
Every morning I also check Facebook. For a long time, I refused to sign in because I thought it was a kind of violation of private life. But finally, it was the easiest way to keep in touch with my friends all around the world. Facebook is also an essential tool in the Erasmus network, it gives the opportunity to get informed of the events, parties, trips etc... and easily share your pictures with your friends.
Later in the day I usually need to use the computers at the library in order to complete assignments. Once more, I surf the internet in order to find further information that I didn’t find in books. You are still active when you research on the net. Sometimes it is hard to classify all the information that you get: what is relevant? Is the author of this article generally approved? Is it serious and reliable?
That is what you can notice using the Internet: you are free, you can find a broad diversity of sources and points of view. But then, it is your own responsibility to classify these sources and it is not obvious.
In the evening I like relaxing watching TV series on my laptop. On streaming websites you can find the latest seasons that are not even on French TV, with subtitles. In these conditions, TV seems quite obsolete.
Sometimes I also use Skype to call my family or even my friends in Finland because it is for free and much more convivial than phone.
Because I didn’t have TV in Finland, I liked listening French radio via my laptop. Actually, I notices that my laptop was a kind of “super media” through which I could have the opportunity to read newspapers, listen radio, watch TV etc...
In France, my uses of media are not exactly the same. Actually, newspapers and TV are more accessible for me so I use more varied media even if the Internet is still in first position.
Every morning I check my mail just after waking up. These last days it was very important for me to read my mail because I was looking for an internship for my second semester. So every morning, I was keen to check if I received any answer to my candidacy. Fortunately, I finally found an internship!
In the morning, I also switch on the TV. But I don’t watch actively any program. It is just to have a background noise when I am alone and I am eating my breakfast.
Later in the day, if I have some time, I like reading magazines. I am for example a subscriber of ELLE, a fashion magazine. And when I read interesting articles, I sometimes like to find on the Internet further informations, about an artist, a brand, a event, a film that I discovered during my lecture.
In the evening I switch on the TV in order to watch the news. Sometimes I am not interted in every reporting, but it is a good way to have a global views of current affairs. Later, either I watch a movie on TV or, if there is nothing exciting on TV, I watch I movie using streaming websites on my laptop. But even if I am watching a movie or a series, I am all the time speaking to my Finnish friends through MSN or Skype. And that is why I am not able to go to bed early...