Institutions such as friends, television, and the music have shaped me to act and be the person who I am today. I interact with these three institutions daily, and I feel that they have had many positive and very negative effects. Some effects include whom I hang around with, what I do in my free time, and how I present myself.
The institution of friends can be very versatile. Friends have shaped me to be who I am today. The common quote "You are whom you hang with" applies to most all people I have known. If you hang around with a certain click, then chances are, you are one of them. This may not always be a good thing, but it is most commonly true. Friends can affect your personality in many ways such as they could encourage you to dress differently (since physical appearance is very important to teenagers, this can have a large affect on teens), or do different activities, such as sports, fine arts, etc. The people who I personally hang out with are a very different sort. Some people are into sports some are into the arts. There are opposites but friendship between the different people tie it together. .
Television is a very manipulative institution. So many different television programs are on these days, not to mention commercials. Advertisements for certain products can be very manipulative. Sometimes you will here the phrase "If you want this, then you need this". This can lead to people feeling like they can't accomplish something without assistance from that product, and it can make people feel inferior, so they buy the product. Programs and television stations are meant to appeal to everyone, so you can tell a significant amount about someone by what they watch on television. I, myself usually watch the music channels like MTV, MTV2, and FuSe. This shows that I like to listen to music, and I do want to become a musician so maybe it can tell something about your identity as well.