Media

So I went to Library West today with every intention of studying, but somehow ended up reading a textbook entitled Adolescent Psychology. I read the chapter on adolescents and media. Here is a collection of facts and thoughts:

- "Media" is basically information in any form -- typically television, music, books, magazines, and computers.

- Adolescents use an average of just under 8 hours of media per day: about 3.5 hours of TV, 2.5 hours of music, and 2 hours of other forms.

- The top 20% of TV watchers watch 8-9 hours of TV a day.

- People who consume lots of media generally consume a lot of different forms of media. Hence, statistically, people who watch more TV also tend to read more and listen to more music.

- Girls listen to substantially more music than guys (about 1 more hour per day).

So how does media affect identity formation in the adolescent? This is a particularly relevant question due to the fact that identity formation is a central goal of adolescence as well as a central theme of media.

It is also interesting that most media use, as well as most personal contemplation, occurs while the individual is alone.

The textbook focused on the media's affect on adolescents, but I would be curious as to the possible influence of adolescents on media.