Notes on Tracking

Screen Dump of my 48-hour Social Media Tracking

What is 'social'? (defining matter)

I decided to track my own social media use for 48 hours from Friday 18th October at 9 AM to Sunday 20th October at 9 AM. Before starting to track I chose what types of sites I would include. I wanted to note and track all social media use, which is why I haven't noted any activity besides that (e.g. web radio, search results on Google or visits to weather stations online). In retrospect this clear distinction maybe shouldn't have been made while tracking but instead afterwards. Simply because it can be difficult to decide, what sites are "social" - and since I haven't gotten around to defining what 'social' is yet, this selection of tracked sites might exclude some interesting notes on (social) activity online. I did however go by the criteria of 'interacting with others' when trying to define, what sites I should include in the tracking (these sites being: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Hotmail, Skype, blogs and pbworks). On all of these sites I define 'interacting' as writing, posting, commenting and liking. To some extend I would also include 'Lurker' functions such as reading and browsing as interaction (cf. Coleman in Hello Avatar on 'Agency' "[...] that needs to include positions such as listening and being present and not exclusively actions" - p. 33). 

Facebook takes the lead (numbers of visits, duration and order)

It turns out that Facebook is the social media site I visit the most - by far. Almost half of my logins within the 48-hour data collection were on to Facebook (out of a total of 57 logins). When it comes to duration, Skype overtakes Facebook on the inside - 47 % of the time spent online Friday through Sunday was on Skype. However, 35 % of the time was on Facebook.

When turning the attention to the order of social media, I engaged in, there is a certain sequence that repeats itself. (Presumably) because of the way I have sorted out the bookmarks in my browser, it seems that I 'obeyed' a specific order quite a few times during the tracking. The order of Facebook-Twitter-LinkedIn-Pinterest-Instagram-Hotmail is the order I turn to on both Friday and Saturday - it's in fact the first thing I do on both days. The order of Facebook-Twitter-LinkedIn/Instagram is the second most 'obeyed' order of checking up on and engaging in social media. What is interesting about this 'obeying' of orders is whether it is caused by habit, ritual, instance, convenience or something entirely different. Also it's quite obvious that Facebook - once again - is the leading social media when it comes to in which order I prefer to visit the social media sites.

Circle diagram of number of times logged on to Social Media (%)

Circle diagram of duration in % (time used on Social Media)

Not only 'what', but also 'why'? (purpose and 'result')

As I was tracking myself, I decided to not only note the numerical facts. I also wanted to note why I logged on to the social media. Also I wanted to know: Did I get what I came for?

The absolute frontrunner when it comes to purposes is 'checking up on updates'. The next most common purpose is one of direct interactive character; checking up on responses to messages, comments and alike. In some (probably most) cases I got what I came for (typically getting updated on new information or getting answers to my questions or requests). But in other cases, I logged on without there being any updates at all. Also I managed to log on a few times by reflex - with no deliberate purpose.

The interesting thing here is not the frequency of having a 'social' (interactive or updating) purpose. The interesting thing is how this checking up on social updates, comments, messages etc. makes me feel - and even more interesting; how checking up on unanswered or ignored posts, comments, messages, pictures etc. affects me - 'offline'. This specific observation is one that I will be returning to later on in my project. 

'Always On'? (a question of duration or mindset)

Out of all the time tracking myself (48 hours), I was only online for 6 hours and 51 minutes. Converted into percentages I was online 14.3 % of the time within the selected time frame. And this actually surprises me, since I consider myself 'always on'. Within the 48 hours of tracking I also felt as if I was always on, since I had the opportunity to go online - and I also did frequently. I might not have been online continuously, but I checked up on updates on e.g. Facebook relatively often, which made me feel as if I was online most of the time. The consciousness that came with tracking my every move online did however affect my social media use, I believe. Also I had plans (outside of the digital realm), which most likely also had something to do with my social media use at the time. Likewise the weekend presumably also had an effect on my social media use as I tend to check up on social media more frequently during the week due to practical matters (such as planning presentations with my classmates, updating on readings for classes, work related emails etc.)