Media Messages for Tweens

Reading Log Week 11: Focus on Media

It seems there is good news and bad news in terms of messages that tweens are receiving from the media.  On the one hand, the casting of television shows today is much more racially diverse than it was a generation ago, so more and more young people see themselves reflected on the screen.  That is good news and a positive step, even if it is a little late in the making.  Gender stereotypes, however, still abound and are clear in ways such as use of color (think pink!) and fashion trends to lure in female readers/viewers.  And as several members of our class pointed out this week, the focus on consumerism is blatant and disturbing.  Certainly advertising with the goal of consumers buying a product is nothing new, but there are so many messages coming at young people with a price tag attached—and such an easy click of a mouse to comply—that it seems overwhelming and much more prevalent today than a generation ago.

It was interesting to read the article about Disney and making “new Mileys.”  I can see from a business perspective why it would be worth it for huge media companies to create these personas; kids in this age range have a lot of influence on their parents to spend money, whether it be on concert tickets, clothing, purchasing music or a cable package.  Researchers can go to great lengths to create the perfect icon and see tremendous pay off.  But it seems inauthentic to try to control who will be popular with young fans, and it is really troubling to see many of these young stars implode before they have even reached adulthood.  The message to tweens seems to be: try to be like these people; they are perfect and so happy, so this is the life you must want.  But where is the follow up message to them when these manufactured idols fall apart as the paparazzi documents their every move?

Certainly it is important for parents to have open communication with their children about this, but this may also be an opportunity for libraries to help tweens be informed media consumers.  Pop culture comprises a hefty chunk of the media content that tweens are getting, so why not bring some of that into the library?  I love the suggestion by a classmate to have tweens critique and review websites, and to do some research into the origins of some of these media outlets.  How empowering for a student to find information like that.

Sources:

Luscobme, B. (October 22, 2009). Making new Mileys: Disney’s teen-star factory. TIME.com. Retrieved April 23, 2011, from http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1930657-1,00.html