I think, therefore I am.

“Everything could have been anything else and had just as much meaning.”

-Mr. Nobody

I’m a million different people from one day to the next…
— The Verve, Bittersweet Symphony

Who am I? For some reason, this question leaves me at a blank.  Who I am right now may not be the same as who I was yesterday, or who I will be when you, whoever you are out there, will read this. That’s the beauty of being in my 20’s. I am allowed, even encouraged, to label myself, to brand myself in any way I see fit, and yet I have no desire to do so for perhaps the first time in my life.  I can tell who I’ve been before – the 12 year old tomboy who would rather play football with the guys than jump rope with the girls, the idealist activist of my high school years whose frustuation at the world was reflected through angsty poetry, or the college girl with a penchant for mischief living in a city chock full of it. However, I don’t believe these experiences are what define who I am.  I can try to explain who I am by telling you what I do. I can tell you I am a student, studying Neuropsychology and Media Studies and finishing a minor in Sociology. I go to as many electronic shows and festivals as I can afford at the moment, often dressed in ridiculous outfits just for the hell of it and with a crew of some of the most amazing people I have ever met. I can spend a whole day sitting up on my roof in with a good dystopian novel and a pack of camel crushes.  I collect unfinished hobbies and activities, all with the notion that I’ll finish it some day. I never stay in one place too long, and love to travel and move around and experience new, novel things and ideas. I consistently argue with my parents, whose traditional values do not suit the lifestyle I envision for myself, and who don’t understand my choices and yet still love me despite their confusion.  Yet these things do not define me. I am still unwritten, undecided, and unlabeled. I am free to choose, to dictate where my life will go and what I will become. I am able to wake up every morning and decide who I will be for that day, even if I was someone completely different yesterday. I am fluid and evolving. I am simply…me.

However, I can say that living in NYC, a city that people worldwide dream of visiting,  has influenced who I am on a day to day basis more than anything else has. I mean, how could it not, being one of the biggest cultural and media hubs of the world?! I love consuming the media made around me as well, whether it be a documentary, internet forums, a new show that everyone is raving about (or that I introduce to my friends), books, or street art. Although I consume some mainstream media, including popular shows like Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones, I mostly consume alternative media. I have a minor obsession with the street art, which often depicts political and social ideas in a public space beautifully. Below is a picture of one that I really enjoy. I also love watching movies that are not well known but really alter the way you perceive things, basically anything off this thread on reddit. Just trust me, it'll change the way you think about everything. I typically can't stand social media, except to communicate with friends at a distance. Since this is my first media analysis course, I look forward to learning how to think about media in a more analytical and critical manner.