What the Ears of the Adolescent Hear
             Pop culture expert Michael Paretti once said that "people are influenced by the media in the way they dress, talk, relate, spend their money, define social problems, identify with prominent but insignificant personalities and in the kinds of ideological images they embrace." But the term "media" is broad, is he talking about television, radio or movies. Media includes all these sections but music is its largest player. According to Kathleen O'Toole adolescents actively or inactively listen to music three to five hours a day. That is mare than any statistic for television, video game, computer use or Internet. What does this mean? It means that music potentially has the biggest effect on adolescents out of the sections of the media. Peter Christenson and Donald Roberts, authors of the book "It's not only Rock and Roll" say that "Music matters to adolescents, and they cannot be understood without a serious consideration of how it fits into their lives," meaning no adolescent can be properly interpreted or counseled without knowing how the music the adolescent listens to effects their life. Music affects every angle of teen development from the personality in which they dress and speak to the social groups they confide in.
             Music is often used as a channel to express and enhance moods and emotional states. This can cause an adverse range of effects. An adolescent in a good mood listening to a happy song can have improve self esteem, outlook on life, tolerance of annoyances; an angry outraged adolescent listening to some destructive goth or heavy metal may feel the need to break something, hurt someone or even hurt him or herself. It's not what the music says but whose mind is processing the meaning of the music. Marilyn Manson said himself " I am not, nor have I ever been or ever will be a devil worshipper," it's tha...