Media Autobiography

    The eight types of mass media has been a big part of who I am. It partly made me what I am and it is still shaping me into the person I am today. I started reading book at a young age and still read them to this day. I remember learning to read with the Berenstain Bears book series and I continued to read them in my adolescence. As I became more mature, so did my reading. From children's books I moved on to sci-fi, non-fiction, fantasy, mystery, thriller, suspense, horror, autobiography, just about anything I could get my hands on. I even became a huge comic book fan in the process. Manga (Japanese comic book) soon followed, I read everything. However, I cannot get into romance novels and to this day, it is the one book genre I do not like. Currently, I am reading Scott Pilgrim volume two from the series. Books were and continue to be the basis of my imagination.
    I never really got into newspapers but when I finally did, all I searched for was the comic section. There was so much to read and each comic strip was so different from the others, it was a good variety of material in the newspaper. In high school, I read the san Jose Mercury News, mainly because that was the onlt open my school provided. I did not start reading the other sections until I was in economics class. Since then I read when I can but the only thing I do not like about it is that there are so many articles to read that it quickly becomes time assuming.
    Like books, I also got into magazines when I was young. My grandmother subscribed me to Sports Illustrated for Kids and from there I began reading her Reader's Digest. As a teenager I was subscribed to Shonen Jump (monthly Japanese magazine), Official Xbox Magazine, Maxim, and Men's Fitness. At the same time I would swipe my brother's Nintendo Power magazines. Last year, I read ESPN Magazine and now I read anything on the magazine rack and I am subscribed to Game Informer.
    Movies changed my outlook on life and I was pulled into cinema at a very pivotal time in my life. I was watching 90s classics before I could fully comprehend or appreciate the pure genius before my eyes. While growing up, I was able analyze movies in a way most people did not. I would watch a movie multiple times just find movie mistakes or just watch it countless times like was brand new and still be completely satisfied. I will watch any kind of movie as long as the story is good and it is not a chessy romance. I will watch a romance if the story is fresh or original (ex. Mean Girls, Love Actually). I'm really into independent and foreign films because let's face it, Hollywood will put a mindless action film with an A list celebrity star over a deep drama with up and comers any day of the week. My deep interest of movies is why I want to be a film critics. I can honestly talk about movies non stop. I feel like I have exposed myself to so many films over the years I just want to discuss them all the time.
    My experiences of recordings have been kind of a recent discovery. A lot of my music is downloaded just because it is cheaper for me and itunes does not have most of what I am interested in. On the otherhand, itunes has been a great tool for me in my search for podcasts. I listen to about fourteen podcasts all ranging from videogame and movie jargon, to comic book chats and even some on life knowledge. I usually listen to around ten hours of podcasts a week and it is a good mix up from music.
    Radio is more of a downward slope for me. I do not listen to it that much anymore because I feel like they play the same thing. It seems that you can change the station three times and the stations will be playing the same song. That was annoying to me and I also realized that rappers and bands that do not get radio play deserve it the most. So for my music, I stick to indie bands and artists that are not that well known.
    Television is just as important to me as movies but not as much (if that makes sense). I fondly remember the television gold I grew up on (insert awesome Cartoon Network/Nickelodeon/Disney Channel show here). There are so many good shows on television. Likewise, there is so much garbage on as well. As much as my knowledge can expand from watching the discovery channel or an intense drama, I can easily make myself sick from all the senseless and pointless shows. Television is a necessary evil that can enslave us for as long as we want it to.
    I am still learning to operate the internet to its fullest potential. I am certainly no novice, I know my way around the web. I like how open it is and how you can learn so much more than what you normally would. I do not really have any complaints about it but it is easy to see how new users can get lost or frustrated on the internet. Media in all forms is a very enjoyable experience, and it has contributed to my state of mind.