The visual images which saturate the world of young people are a part, often a major part, of the tools they use to reflect upon and interpret their world. Videos are as important as books in confirming, illuminating, or extending the life experiences of those who perceive them.
Perception is itself an interpretive act.
Whether reading or viewing a story, perceivers both bring meaning to and take meaning from the symbol system in which that story is encoded. In the decoding process, therefore, readers recreate a unique and personal story. As young people watch film versions of other lives, they add shape and substance to their own. The passage above is from Vandergrift, Kay E. and Jane Anne Hannigan. A book by W. Carter Merbreier.