Media Memoir

As a child I had many experiences with media. I would watch TV while I ate my breakfast, play Pocahontas and Barbie games on my brother’s old school computer, listen to music with my friends and dance in my room, and read before bed. My brother and I would fight over the radio stations in the car, until finally my mom or dad would shut both of us down and put on a classic rock station. My mom would play records from the 60 and 70s in our living room and we would all embarrassingly dance around, even with my [at the time] pre-teen brother trying to switch the music to an MC Hammer cassette tape. When I was ten years old I learned how to navigate AOL, and created my own screen name and profile, filled with little smiley faces and “<3”s.

One of my most distinct memories from childhood is having my parents read me books. After dinner or before bed we always read something together. My mom would read me things like Junie B. Jones and my favorite Disney stories, while my dad would usually come in my room before bed and tell me an imaginative, elaborate, probably inappropriate for my age story. The concept of stories without visual images was so appealing to me, but I often desired a clearer picture on things. I would ask my mom things like, “What do you think Junie looks like?” She would tell me what we knew from the book- she had brown hair and freckles, but sometimes it was not enough for me. I needed a visual affirmation of what I was imagining in my head.

That brings me to the other distinct memory of my media experiences as a child, television. At my house in New Jersey, the TV was almost always on (and still is). I would wake up and eat my breakfast in front of an old television in the kitchen. At night we would unwind in the living room by watching a show. When I was very young I would spend all night waiting for Rugrats to come on Nickelodeon, then as I got a little older it was the Brady Bunch (I was a little odd).

Television was something comfortable and consistent in my life, but I never preferred it to playing outside. When I was a child I was far more durable then I am today, and rain, shine, or snowstorm I would be in the front or back yard finding something to get myself into with my neighbors. Still, when the sun went down it was always the same thing- shower/bath, then TV. It was a way to relax yet fill time, and in many ways it still is for me. Although I hardly ever watch television these days, when I do I cannot deny that it feels nice (mostly because that means I do not have anything else to be doing).

Media has played a huge part in my childhood, just as it does today. It was a significant part of my life from the time I was a baby and throughout my development. In many ways I feel like through music and books it has helped contribute to my creative and unique nature, while its other forms I often blame for my sometimes scattered thoughts and anxiety. Regardless of how often I want to blame it for certain qualities, I cannot deny the pleasure it offers as well. Whether I like it or not, it is and was and will be.

Image Sources: artsjournal.com, goodreads.com