One of the most frequent topics of casual conversation among my students is TV - Who saw Glee last night, what the Jersey Shore crazies were up to, etc. They constantly reference quotes from the characters, clothing, and/or situations from their favorite TV shows. Obviously we know that teens watch a lot of TV; the question is, how is it influencing them? I'll give an example: my niece, who is 12 years old, told me recently that she "just loves Italians, like the guys from the Jersey Shore." As an aunt, suffice it to say that this information shocked and appalled me. I immediately told her this was a "poor life choice" and that she should not base her interests off of TV characters, as they are not realistic. We had a brief discussion about this before she got bored and went to listen to Justin Bieber.
Those of you with adolescent/teen children, or those of you who are teachers... what do you think about this trend of teens wanting to be or look like TV characters? I realize this has always been somewhat of an issue in society (The "Rachel" haircut, for example), but it seems so much more prevalent now in such a media-drenched world. When I notice my students acting and talking like, or idolizing, TV characters, I am concerned that they will not develop their own genuine self. How can we as educators (and/or parents) prevent adolescents from becoming mindless clones of falsified and idealistic personas?
Jenna,
ReplyDeleteI have the same question, as I raised in Katie's blog in regards to Killing Us Softly. I guess awareness would be my best answer, however, I was aware at that age and still wanted to look like a Spice Girl. Is this a stage we all have to go through to kind of form our own identity? Because, although we may be influenced by the media somewhat into our 20's, 30's, and so on, we realize that this is not "real life" and the process it takes to look and be that person is not a quick one.
Showing movies in our classrooms, such as Killing Us Softly would be one way I would raise awareness in my future classroom. I, too, am in need for some other ways to prevent adolescents from becoming mindless clones.
Jenna - you are right. Students in today's classroom seem obsessed with what they see on TV these days. And, I think it attributes to what we have said all along in this class: the visual has more appeal to our students. They would rather see something than read about it. I mean, how many students do you see thumbing through magazines? And, if you let them get out their iPods for 30 seconds (my school bans the use of them in the classroom), they are quick to show off pictures on the screens to their friends.
ReplyDeleteMy point is that the visual counts for these students, which means that TV is totally enticing for them. They have tons of channels at their disposal with a variety of pop culture living on the TV shows. They mimic what they see and adapt the characters' style choices to their own lives. It is more appealing to them than a character described in a novel or short story.
Jenna,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with the comments above. As we’ve discussed in class, we have to teach our students to be educated consumers of media. We can keep telling teens that what they see on TV is not realistic, but until we teach them to deconstruct media, they won’t get it.
I think an interesting activity to have students do would be to journal about all the media they consume over the course of a week. In their journals they should record what they watch/see/ listen to, etc., how much time they devoted to it, and what impressions they took away from. Then, in class, students could compare their responses and see what messages they collectively receive from the media. Lastly, as a group everyone could consider the question “Am I getting the same impressions and ideas from real life experiences as I am from TV and other media?” Chances are they’ll begin to see some of the discrepancies between TV and real life when they’re forced to examine both “realities” more closely.
@Ben - awesome activity! I just might have to use this next year! Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteI love Ben's activity also.
ReplyDeleteAnother one, which I came across in my reading, is to ask students what their goals are and how they visualize their futures. Then ask about which shows they watch and which media characters they admire. How do the media images connect with the students' aspirations? If they don't connect very well, pose the question: What type of media image would be better suited to helping you achieve your goals?
I also wanted to share a story about how convoluted reality can be. I heard a student tell a teacher, "When i grow up, I want to be just like that guy on Two and a Half Men."
The teacher said, "Honey, you know that's not real and that he doesn't really live that way."
"Sadly," I told her later, "if the media can be believed, in this case I think
it might be pretty hard to draw a line between the behavior/lifestyle of the actor and the character."
It's become a very fuzzy line indeed. And now, the media has that to market as well, and Sheen has been marketing himself accordingly, too. 'Makes my head spin.