My relationship with mediums of media~
Books: The original method of reading literature, good old-fashioned books. While I was never much of a bookwork there were a few situations where I would read literature for my own interest, however the greater majority of the books I've read were linked to school assignments. "The Accidental Billionaires" and "American Psycho" were two novels I can recall having significant interest in, but realistically the list of books I legitimately enjoyed is rather short unfortunately *laughs.
Newspapers: Other than reading Sunday cartoons with my grandmother I can't honestly recall the last time I picked up a newspaper. Although the newspaper seems like a dated form of media, it's one of the oldest forms still utilized today giving a sense of nostalgia when picked up knowing it's fresh off the press. As far as my relationship with the newspaper goes, I have had little time invested in reading them; I don't have anything against the newspaper, but would rather pick and choice the topics I'm interested in rather than reading something chosen by someone else.
Magazines: I've had a decent amount of time investing in reading magazines as I enjoy the fact that they are interest-specific. No matter how small a niche is, there is usually a magazine pertaining to that group/subject. When I was younger I used to be subscribed to "Popular Science Magazine" and "Nintendo Power"; It had a significant role in my childhood, but it wasn't anything I feel that I strongly connected to. Regardless of my level of interest, it definitely was a chunk of the portion of media I consumed in my adolescents.
Movies: Probably one of my favorite forms of media, movies exist to take the viewer out of reality and place in them in a foreign world where life is well.. more interesting. I have invested a large amount of time watching films in variety of manners such as going to the theater, renting films, watching films broadcasted through TV networks, and of course through my Netflix subscription. Movies are one of my favorite pastimes as I usually have a specific memories linked to most every film I've seen. I have too many movies I've enjoyed to begin to list.
Audio: Hands down the form of media that has had the biggest impact on my life is Audio. I can't begin to fathom the number of hours I've spent with earphones on.. Looking back at the different genres and groups I listened to in my lifetime, one would be able to see the path that I've gone down leading up to the present day. Music has been such critical part of my life that It's hard to imagine what living would have been like without it. Its helped me pass the time, complete tasks, brighten my mood, and most importantly associate myself with something.
Radio: The only memories I have of listening to the radio was when I didn't have access to listening to my own supply of music (which was probably from the age 9 and below) while in the car with my mother/father. Other than that I never listened to the radio if I already had access to the music I listened to via CD and then iPod shortly after. The radio never clicked with me as there would be too many tracks I didn't enjoy listening to compared to tracks I actually enjoyed; the issue essentially that I didn't listen to much mainstream music starting from a young age.
Television: Definitely a key competitor of the form of media I took in the most as a child is television. Having only basic cable until the age of roughly 16, I thoroughly scoured the 70 channels that were available on my television essentially every day. The majority of the shows I watched in this time period were cartoons, but specifically the show that I most vividly remember watching religiously was Toonami on cartoon network. This channel played mostly Japanese cartoons during the early evening hours and while the show stopped airing on basic cable some time ago it left me with a huge interest in anime which up until this day is probably the genre of video which I watch the most.
Internet: Here we go, the form of media that any person my age would undoubtedly agree is the most influential is the internet. Having steady internet access by the age of 13, I began utilize the world wide web as a tool to my advantage in nearly every aspect. The internet provided me with a medium that allowed me to finely hone my interests to such an extent that I know for a fact completely transformed me in to the person who I am today. From movies to clothing to information, the internet allowed to me search the world's databases for information that would be virtually impossible for me to find if I were to have been born 50 years ago. While the internet isn't a form of media that I would say was the most enjoyable to pass time with, it certainly aided me in to evolving in to the person I am today.
Thanks for reading!
-Keir
