Morgans Media Memoir

Introduction:
My name is Morgan Russell. I was born in Quincy Massachusetts but I have spent almost all of my life in Quechee Vermont (however being born in Mass means my grandparents still call me a flatlander). I recently transferred, and am a junior at the University of Vermont. I love to read so I would say that is my favorite form of media. I also love various types music and concerts and attend as many as financially possible.
I love the conveniences offered by the internet. For example looking up directions, concerts, recipes etc. But I hate that the internet and television seem to have taken over our lives in so many ways.
I am an Environmental Studies major but I am particularly interested in media and marketing. It seems that advertisements invade every aspect of our life and as much as I hate this, recently I have been thinking about possibly going into this field. Since advertisements do take over all areas of life they have a large impact on most Americans. I believe the environmental movement could benefit from strong and informative ads making the general public more aware of issues.




Media Memoir:
The old fake-wood-sided television sat high on a shelf in the entryway of our home. On the rare occasions it was turned on the picture was fuzzy and the golf channel and local news held little interest. I spent the majority of my childhood outside, since neither of my parents worked full time my days were filled with mini-adventures, nature-focused vacations and activities, leaving little room for television. As a child the single educational computer game (reader rabbit?) I had was reserved for rainy days. Using a computer was not a part of my daily life until high school.
Growing up I read all the time, everything from short childrens books to the classics and the local paper. Specifically our local paper, my mother would sip her tea with the paper every morning so it was only natural that I read it too. I was almost never exposed to advertisements unless it was those in the paper which were mostly for local restaurants, small retailers and possibly ski areas.
As a child the lack of mass media influence in my life seemed normal, hardly any of my friends were heavily influenced by media. However I eventually attended a boarding school with students from all over the world. Many of these students were from more urban and suburban areas and far more interested in media and popular culture than anyone from my small Vermont town.
For some time I found myself sucked into this consumption oriented and media dominated culture I had never previously experienced. I was concerned about celebrities I had never met, about purchasing the latest thing, and making sure I updated my facebook status, concerns that would have never crossed my mind before. I am grateful that this short phase of my life ended.
After a few years of this I suddenly realized that I rarely went hiking anymore, I had hardly been skiing all season, and hadn’t read a book outside of class in months. I realized that I had been so concerned with media and the messages sent through mass media that I was hardly doing any of the things I loved. This realization made me consider how media affected me, and how it affects and changes everyone around me.