Communications Question

One of the goals of this course is to get you to think critically about your own media use. For this assignment, you will analyze and evaluate data about your media habits.

First, do a little research. What do we know about how people use smartphones, particularly from your generation? What are some of the benefits/drawbacks to smartphones? Look for reputable sources.

Next, analyze at your smartphone screen time data. (On an iPhone, go to settings-->screen time--> see all activity; On Android, go to settings--> Digital well-being-->screen time.) How much are you on your phone every day? Which apps do you spend the most time on? What are you using these apps for? How many times do you pickup your phone? How many notifications do you get and from which apps? What kinds of limits/controls are available to control your phone usage? How is your phone an example of media convergence?

Then evaluate your phone usage. Look at the data above. Are you satisfied with your phone usage? Do you wish you could change your habits? If so, what would you change and how would you go about doing it? How do your habits relate to the research that you did in step one?

After doing this exercise, what's the main thing you want to say about your smartphone usage? That's your thesis statement/main argument.

Write up your findings in a 2-3 page double-spaced paper (~500-800 words). Your paper should:

• Have an introduction that ends with your thesis statement, at least three supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion
• Include a visual and a caption! This should ideally be the screenshot of the data from your phone, but you can submit something else if you don't feel comfortable sharing it. The point of the visual is to provide evidence/support for your argument. The caption should go below the visual, and be written in a complete sentence.
• Properly cite 3 outside sources using either APA or MLA style. If you use citation software, please check to make sure it's correct, as software often makes mistakes.

Please note the AI policy for this class (in the syllabus). Your paper must be written by you.