Who am I? What is my relationship to media?

My name is Joy Carino and I am a senior in Hunter College, majoring in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. I spend most of my time taking classes, in writing workshops, and working full time in the wonderful world of retail. I am a musician, mostly playing guitar, bass, and piano, and formerly part of an all-girl rock band and head of the orchestra in high school - not necessarily a band geek. I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do with my life, much like many recent graduates out there. Whether it is songwriting, teaching, or pursuing something in fashion, I'm not quite sure, though I've come to understand that media is going to be a main outlet to get my name out there. And because my schedule is all over the place, I don't really have time for anything except for school and work.

My relationship with media started with watching Sesame Street and Full House on television as a child. On the way to school, my mother and I would listen to Pearl Jam and her favorite rock stations on the radio, and she would take me to see a movie on the weekends. Throughout all my early experiences with media, perhaps the most significant was on the second day of my freshman year of high school. I remember running to a computer and looking up the tragedy of 9/11 and seeing images and reading news headlines only moments after the World Trade Center was hit. I was immediately connected to everything that was going on that day. And even almost ten years later, it is hard to forget those images that appeared on my computer screen that day.

Although I am always exposed to media, I really do not take full advantage of everything it offers. My medium is often my iPhone. I use it to text, e-mail, make phone calls, and look up things on the Internet. In terms of social networking, I cannot remember the last time I was on Facebook. The last time I watched a video on YouTube was for a tutorial on PowerPoint presentations for one of my classes. I use the computer for schoolwork mostly, checking assignments on Blackboard and thing like that. But I still go to the movies, and buy actual books and magazines. I watch my occasional reality show like The Real L Word and Teen Mom, and turn on NY1 for news and the weather before I leave for work or class. Otherwise, I just think I am overwhelmed with everything that is available to me. I know the value placed on media is a large part of today's culture, especially in New York, and I've learned that I need to be more encompassed in and aware of the media world and perhaps a little more media literate in order to function in today's culture.