| Abstract | Seventy undergraduates from 2 U.S. regions, the first generation raised in a media environment expanded by cable and VCRs, recalled childhood and adolescent media viewing in autobiographical essays. These recollections, considered from a symbolic interactionist perspective, reflect the media's contribution to individuals' self-development. Respondents recalled the socializing influences of mediated content that provided characters for imitative preschool play, role models, and topics for adolescent peer interaction. These recollections of childhood and adolescent experiences expressed as autobiography provide clear evidence of the media's long-term influence on development of the self.
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