CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
4.1 M EDIA USAGE IN EVERYDAY LIFE ON TWO CASES
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Chapter 4: Analysis
Wretch is the most popular weblog in Taiwan. There are two main functions of it:
the album and the journal. In the first part, I’ll analyze these two children’s album and journal, and find out what are children doing on internet as bloggers. The second part I’ll discuss children as performers on digital stage. In the third part, I’ll discuss how children construct their self identity through weblog.
4.1 Media usage in everyday life on two cases
Betty and Star use media every day. Weblog is one of the most important media for them to contact with their friends and upload photos. In their daily life, they often use media in the leisure time, after doing homework and before bed time. Blogging is not the only thing while they are surfing on the Internet. In the meanwhile, they usually chat with friends through live messenger. Sometimes they watch TV, listen to the radio, speak on phone or play online games while surfing. Here are two children’s weekday and weekend schedule examples. From the schedules, you will see how digital media involve in their daily life.
4.1.1 Betty’s media usage in everyday life
From Betty’s week day and weekend day’s schedules (Appendix 1 and Appendix 2), it shows that in a week day she goes to school 8.5 hours, tutoring 2 hours, doing homework 1 hour, using media 1.5 hours (includes watching TV, surfing on the Internet, listening to the radio, using camera and mobile phone) and sleeps 6.5 hours.
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However, on the weekend day, she uses media 4 hours, study 1 hour and sleeps 14 hours.
In this research, researcher used ‘Media Usage Diary’ (Appendix 1) for children to record their media usage every day, and they can indicate their happiness index while using each medium. Five smiling faces (☺) represent the happiest feeling when using the medium.
During September 18th to October 1st in 2009, Betty watched TV 3 hours 10 minutes, used mobile phone 2 hours 10 minutes, surfed on the Internet 9 hours, used the camera 4 hours 20 minutes and listened to the radio 3hours 50 minutes per week.
In all kinds of media, Betty spent on Internet the most, camera the second, TV the third and radios the fourth.
The Usage of the Internet, blogging is the most important thing. She often posts new articles, responds to the message leave by others and renews the album.
Sometimes she searches information on the Internet, such as lyrics or materials for school work. She uses the computer in the study room, where her parents can watch her convenient. Happiness index is very high when using the Internet, especially telling secret (the happiest or sad thing happened at school) with her classmates and elder students she met in tutorial school.
The usage of the camera, she started to take camera to school since she was a fifth-grade student. She often uses it to record her everyday life, some were taken at school, and some were taken in after school time. She always uploads these pictures to her album. Happiness index is always very high during this period.
The usage of TV, two categories is her favorite. One is entertainment program
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(ex: One Million Star6), the other one is idol drama. She watches Korean dramas (ex:
Boys Over Flower7s) at most, and sometimes also watches Taiwanese dramas (ex:
Autumns’ Concerto, 下一站，幸福8). The happiness index is high while watching these programs. Watching TV is an important activity for her, because she needs to chat with friends about the dramas.
Watching TV can make you laugh or get very angry all the time, but you learn nothing from it. It’s only about laughter or tears. (Betty, November 17th , 2009) 看電視可以看了一直笑，或是很生氣那種，就是，反正就是不會學到什麼 知識那種，歡笑和淚水而已。
If I haven’t watched one program, I can never become one member of a small group who have watched it; instead, I would just watch them chatting, lonely.
They would ask me, “Why didn’t you see it?” Then I would answer, “What are you talking about? I have no idea at all.” (Betty, November 17th , 2009)
6 One Million Star (Chinese: 超級星光大道) is a popular televised singing competition in Taiwan.
The aim of the show is to gather young people who have talent in singing so as to find the one that has the best qualities to become a superstar. (Retrieved June 20th ,2010 from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Million_Star)
7 Boys Over Flowers is a Korean drama adaptation of the Japanese manga Hana Yor Dango. This is the third television drama adaptation of the popular Japanese manga Hana Yori Dango after the success of both the Taiwanese and Japanese versions. (Retrieved June 20th ,2010 from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boys_Over_Flowers_TV_series)
8 Autumn's Concerto (下一站,幸福), also known as Next Stop, Happiness, is a Taiwanese Drama which broken records with its high ratings 8.23 as its peak point for episode 18. (Retrieved June 20th ,2010 from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autumn%27s_Concerto)
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如果沒有看這個節目，就會變成他們（小團體成員）在一個小圈圈裡面，我
在外面看他們聊天，就會融不入他們。會很孤單的那樣，他們會問說：「妳
怎麼沒有看？」然後我就說：「妳在說什麼？我完全不知道。」
She listens to the radio for learning Hakka9. This was requested by her mother, whom wants her to attend the Hakka Language Test.
I use the tape recorder to learn Hakka. Mother requires me to practice listening, because my cousins are going to take a Hakka test, and Mother asks me to take the test, too. (Betty, November 17th, 2009)
用錄音機是因為要學客語，媽媽會教我一定要聽，因為表哥表姊們都有要 參加檢定，媽媽叫我也要去考。
The Usage of mobile phone, sometimes she uses to listen to songs. The most important thing is texting message. Before go to bed, she often texts with her friends.
They comfort or cheer for each other on school work or everyday life, sometimes the frequency of text can reach to 20 messages.
From Betty’s blog, we can find that, apart from learning Hakka with the tape recorder, which is her mother’s requirement, she uses all the other media for the sake of social intercourse. She watches TV because she needs to know something about the programs others are watching, so that she can have a say during the social life and won’t suffer the pressure of knowing nothing about the topic. Besides looking up for
9 Hakka is one of the main subdivisions of the Chinese language spoken predominantly in southern China by the Hakka people and descendants in diaspora throughout East and Southeast Asia and around
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some information, she surfs the Internet mainly to interact with her peers. She uses the camera to strengthen the interaction with her peers by sharing photos and videos. As for the use of mobile phone, the function of sending short messages to share the trivia in life is more important than that of making phone calls.
4.1.2 Star’s media usage in everyday life
From Star’s week day and weekend schedule (Appendix 3 and Appendix 4), he goes to school 8 hours, doing homework in day-care class 2.5 hours, tutoring 2 hours, using media for 1.5 hours (including watching TV and surfing on the Internet), and he sleeps 7 hours every weekday. However, on the weekend days, he uses media 12 hours and sleeps 9 hours.
During October 11th to October 24th in 2009, Star’s Media Usage Diary represented that he watched TV almost 4 hours, surfed on the Internet 11 hours 10 minutes and used the MP4 1 hour 30 minutes per week. In all kinds of media, Star spent on the Internet the most, TV the second and MP4 the third.
On the Internet usage, Star spends a lot of time blogging, he posts new articles, reads or respond the messages left by somebody. He also often visits his classmates’
or friends’ weblogs and left message there. While he was blogging, the happiness index was very high. During blogging, he logged in Yahoo Messenger and chatted with his friends. On the weekday evening, because of going home late, he often chatted with elder students (junior high school students whom graduated from Star’s elementary school). On the weekend days, he often chatted with his school classmates.
Star also played online games, he played Crazyracing Kartrider10 and Dancing
10 Crazyracing Kartrider (Chinese: 跑跑卡丁車) is an online multiplayer racing game that has managed to get well over 230 million users playing. (Retrieved June 20th ,2010 from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazyracing_Kartrider)
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Online11. While playing online games, his happiness index is higher.
I will log onto the live messenger (chatting software) and the website Wretch every day when I’m on line. (Star, November 14th, 2009)
我每天上網就一定會開及時通和無名。
People without live messenger account seem not to know anything about the Internet. I would ask them to apply for one as quickly and teach them how to use it. The feeling of tutoring is great. (Star, November 14th, 2009)
沒有及時通的人就會很像是不懂電腦，我就會叫他們趕快去用，然後教他 們怎麼用，教人的感覺很不錯。
Now almost all in my class are using live messenger. Maybe only the minority are not, which is the sign of low position. (Star, November 14th, 2009)
現在我們班大概全部都有在用及時通了吧！，大概只有少部份那些沒地位 的人才會沒有。
In the daytime, my classmates and I won’t be on line. My school brothers and
11 Dancing Online (Chinese: 唯舞獨尊) is an online music video game. Players dance with songs by pressing each of the four available directional buttons when prompted. (Retrieved June 20th ,2010 from:
http://www3.gametower.com.tw/Games/We5/main.aspx)
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sisters can only be on line at night, because as junior school students, they have to go to cram school and won’t get home until 9 p.m. I talk with them on weekday nights and with classmates at weekends. (Star, November 14th, 2009)
白天那些同學，我那些時間他們絕對不會上線。我是跟其他人講，是學長 姊學長姊他們是晚上才能上線，因為他們現在念國中要上補習班上到晚上 九點才回家。平日晚上是跟學長姊聊，同學是假日聊。
On the usage of TV, two categories are his favorite. One is cartoon (ex:
SpongeBob12), the other is entertainment program (ex: Genius Go! Go! Go!13).
Star used MP4 after finishing his homework in daycare school. He and his friends will listen to the music and guess the song. He also uses MP4 to listen to the music before sleeping. The Happy index is high while using it.
When attending day-care class, or staying up late to read books or do my homework, I listen to MP4 to kill time. It is fantastic to own an MP4. (Star, November 14th, 2009)
在安親班，或是在熬夜看書或是寫功課時聽，都是拿來無聊時候打發時間 用。有 MP4 比較炫。
12 SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city. (Retrieved June 20th ,2010 from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpongeBob_SquarePants)
13 Genius Go! Go! Go! (Chinese: 天才衝衝衝) is an entertainment TV program. Competitors will play different games in the program. The loser will be punished after the game. (Retrieved June 20th ,2010 from: http://geniusgogogo.pixnet.net/blog)
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Star uses MP4 in his free time. Apart from this, his other media use, like watching TV and surfing the Internet, goes on in his parents’ room. TV programs provide him with entertainment as well as more knowledge. Computer is the medium he uses most. Through live messenger and the blog, he keeps touch with his peers.
Besides, he gets to know more school brothers and sisters, who have graduated and he is less likely to know otherwise. Moreover, online games are an important part of his Internet use. When playing online games, he meets more people from other places.
They chat during the games and form a team to get promoted.