It’s a hard thing to imagine a life without media exposure. The media influences us in so many ways and infiltrates our daily lives. We consume media intentionally as well as involuntarily in our daily routines. Billboards on bus stops, adverts for films, music playing in shops, the radio in a taxi, these things all effect us and the people we develop into. Media can often educate us and inform us about the world outside our immediate boundaries. It enables us to be more culturally and socially aware of the diversity in life. Without media exposure our lives could be considerably more sheltered. We would not have access to a variety of opinions and perspectives and therefore would be subject to follow the beliefs of the people in our immediate surroundings. This dawned on me in my recent babysitting experience. Upon discussion of Aboriginal dreamtime stories one sibling admitted that these stories scared them, the other sibling then replied that there was nothing to be scared of because Aboriginals don’t exist. I was shocked that these children could be so sheltered and unaware of the world around them, even within their own country. I put it down to the fact that they are living in a typically white, upper middle class suburb with minimal exposure and experience with different cultures. With time im sure these kids will come to learn about different cultures and subcultures within our society but I couldn’t help but wonder what my ideas and beliefs would be like without my 18 years of media exposure. Would I be as sheltered and ignorant as a child?