Media Diaries as Pedagogy

Abstract

Media diaries are applied in media research and education, especially in the context of media use and appropriation. Thereby, ‘media diary’ is more of an umbrella term for a wide range of techniques of gathering information on media‐related activities than a clearly defined instrument. Diaries, however, are not very widely discussed in the methodological literature of media and communication research. This entry in a first step delivers a definition of media diaries as an empirical approach against the background of the diary's offspring as a literary form. In a second step, the relevance of the media diary as a tool in the field of media education and literacy research is discussed. In a third step, an overview of the various forms of media diaries used as a method in media and communication research is presented. Finally, suggestions for future developments and potentials of media diaries as pedagogy are offered.