What are children learning from the media?

My boss and I were talking about the culture and atmosphere children are living and learning in. Jezebel.com features this very concept today; what are children learning today? The article, Today’s Teens Only Interested in Rich People and Money, makes the assertion that this can be seen in youth culture’s obsession with money, fame, and image. They point to television shows like 90210, Privileged, Gossip Girl, and The Hills. Of course television isn’t the only place young people are bombarded with these messages of money and fame. There is a growing market for young adult books such as Bratfest at Tiffany’s, Clique, and Gossip Girls. The article mentions the shift away from Sleeping Beauty and Snow White to heiresses and teen sensations who have criminal records and drug problems. Mass consumerism and the media are indoctrinating children with the message that money, fame, and image are all that is important. Are children being taught money and happiness are the same thing? What will happen when adolescences ends and adulthood begins?

Pop, Pop, Pop Culture, Pop, Pop, Pop Goes Culture?

I love trash TV; I do. I watch it while I read or chat with my roommates. I discuss it at what become weekly occurrences in the office such as “Project Runway Lunch.” No one, and I mean no one is as excited as me that Brenda is back in the zip code I grew up with. But maybe we should slow down and take a minute to look at how this reflects society.

The Hills and its fictional counterparts, Gossip Girl and 90210. Anyone else horrified how well the later reflect the first? I watched my first episode of Gossip Girl last night with the roomie who called it what it is, a distraction from law school and the harsh realities and double standard of the corporate world. At first I thought this is ridiculous; no one would allow their children to do the things these kids do. Wait, they don’t have parents. These characters can sleep with anyone or things that moves and it is ok. 90210 echoed this in its premiere last week. And frankly, I don’t really care both shows are young soap operas, and thus supposed to be over the top and (this is key, hope you’re paying attention) are fiction. I didn’t become a fan of either shows recognizing the glitter of 90210 will dissipate like the original, and the characters on Gossip Girl made me want to hurt myself or someone else. But where oh where could these writers be getting this stuff? Is there really such a thing as “bro-mance?” Then my roommates did something else; they flipped on over to E’s the Soup. And there, it was in its entire mind numbing glory were clips of the Hills. A point was raised, and I couldn’t believe it. People watch a show about rich people with far to much money looking at one another or when mirrors are around themselves. I know life imitates art, but the similarity between the characters on all three of these shows is scary. And what does this say about what the youth of the nation is gleaning from it?

As a side note, Gossip Girl is based on a best selling “Young Adult” book. My feelings on this are as follows: great kids are reading, not so great kids are reading trash. Rest assured romance genre industry, you will see the sun rise and set for another generation. These series, Gossip Girl, Twilight, Clique, all employ the pornesque techniques you do. Imagine a generation of girls reading what I consider pre-pre-erotica. These books are fluffy quickies, which conveniently is what they are about. This is the same generation who is too busy to read Catcher in the Rye or the Outsiders, but at least they will pick up the cliffnotes off the web.

Date My Ex. Yes, that is a show, and it is about a woman who wants to find love so she goes on a reality TV show with her ex. How could this possibly end badly? So once again you have people who are insanely in love with themselves putting people into strange situations, which would never normally occur. Anyone know why this is called reality? I watched the Season Finale last night, and by that I mean slept through half. [Note I said season because these relationship shows go on for like three seasons each.]

We are staring in the face of a backslide in culture, which began several years ago. Now it is in full swing. Television shows about the upper elite show nothing by teen sex and mass consumerism. You would think people with limitless funds would think to see or do something worthy of their upper echelon status. But no we the general public are bombarded with images of backstabbing and told it reflects the life of Americans.

Coming soon…film, books, music, and every other artistic outlet being battered and butchered by mass consumption.