Before mass media existed, our ideas of beauty were limited to our own communities. One was able to form their ideas about females and what was considered beautiful. Females are portrayed by the media as Young and Skinny and with those assets many of them are advertised as Beautiful. Female actors, anchors, models and even politicians try to maintain a “look” that supports the media’s perception of beauty. As a result, those females who age or gain weight may be forced to look at themselves as unattractive.
The image of perfection we see in the media excludes females who are old, disabled or overweight. Rarely is beauty associated or recognized by the media of women who fall into these categories. Black women have a very different issue that only makes their quest for perfection more difficult. Media portrayals usually give images of beauty that often reflect “white” features such as thin lips, pointy noses, slim hips, perky breasts, long hair and fair skin. This is an image that starts persuading the minds of young girls at an early age with dolls such as Barbie. It has been proven in numerous studies that even girls that are not white would prefer to play with white dolls over black ones.
Commercialized media has created a fantasy world that women often hope, in some way, can become theirs. Every women has different features that makes their beauty unique but those who do not look like advertisements may often find themselves trying to strive for that type of beauty. Because the media has generated so much money from their created idea of beauty; it may take years to mold the idea of true beauty amongst young women. So until then, females will struggle with self -objectification that will often lead to self- consciousness and low self-esteem.
Last Week's post introduced the socialization of youth. We discussed social media as an instrument for messages from celebrities and peers. This week we shift our focus to the values youth receive from the various forms of media. We ask, "Who does Media say youth are?" My partner, T., and I, K., have broken the response into positive messages and negative messages to be delivered in separate posts. Here, I discuss a positive value that youth may learn from media as a part of their socialization into current American society.
There have been increases in the development of technology and production of youth marketing over the past years that has created a "voice" that speaks to youth, be it through television programming, music lyrics, commercial ads, or social media sites. The most popular messages of this "voice" are often considered negative, because of the direct and often value-less ideas presented. The messages are so candid that it is often hard to decipher the age group of the target market. However, there is a silver lining of positivity. Youth are empowered like never before. Gone is the notion that children are to be seen and not heard. Youth are directly acknowledged and encouraged to use their voice.
A positive value youth may perceive through all of this is the benefit of political and social activism. Youth of all races are socialized into the practice of voting through organizational campaigns like Rock the Vote and Media Mogul Sean Combs' Vote or Die, among many others. On election day, many facebookers post when headed to and/or from the polls, resulting in peer influence as well. Voting was once taboo for women and minorities, and youth were traditionally ignored because of their lack of resources. But now, media is placing a cool on voting that can capture the interest of youth of all ages. Even those who are not yet voting age are interested in voting as soon as their birthday hits.
The 2008 Presidential Election marked a new era of campaigning as the Obama commitee utilized social networking among other methods of inspiring a change in politics and in our country. Many feel that President Obama won the election based on the youth vote. Another area of activism is the attention to causes including supporting the terminally ill and the disadvantaged. Youth are being targeted for advocacy and giving. Check out this youtube video on youth politics and the internet and the following articles. But don't forget to post below. Can voting and activism become a way of life through media socialization. What do you think?
So∙cial∙i∙za∙tion: noun. - a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behavior, and social skills appropriate to his or her social position(1).
In general, youth are socialized by their families, peers, educators, religious affiliation, and mass media. Social media sites like Twitter are socializing agents because of the information that can be gained by being connected to others and because of the skill gained through utilization. The two are distinguished because Twitter is the mode of communication. It does not set an agenda, emphasize issues, or assign responsibility. These ideals come from the users, which according to Twitter amount to 175 million.
Social media is a part of a youth’s informal education that involves imitation of what others do and say as well as experimentation and repetitive practice of basic skills. According to Dr. Dennis O’Neill, this is what happens when children role-play adult interactions in their games(2). Twitter serves as the medium for the proliferation of youth behavioral trends like idolizing celebrities.
“Friends and industry peers you know. Celebrities you watch. Businesses you frequent. Find them all on Twitter.” – Twitter.com
Superstar Justin Bieber has effectively used Twitter to drive actions from his network and ultimately become a huge teenage sensation. One year ago, almost NOONE had heard of the young aspiring singer. Justin utilized the social network as a way to directly communicate with his fans in an indirect way. He is one of the first world wide popstars to figure out how to influence his fan base efficiently through social media at a level that has not been achieved before and now he has become a world wide phenomenon because of his actions.
Youth are able to basically program their media influence by whom and which businesses they choose to follow. These sites give youth a direct line to their crush or idol for how to dress, what to eat, what car to drive, and more. So while Twitter does not drastically change the main sources in youth socialization, it does provide access to role models in a way that has previously been unattainable. It may also increase peer influence.
According to Twitter.com 95 million tweets are written per day. The minute-by-minute descriptions provided in tweets usually end up providing excessive amounts of information on an individual’s day and how he or she handled a situation. Youth “followers” are able to learn from that person’s experience and adopt those same responses, perhaps instead of going to a parent. Tamika Morrison notes that businesses often seek to influence youth through marketing in getting them to believe that a product is a “must-have” for his or her lifestyle(3). Businesses may gain personal information about youth on Twitter.
The constant communication on the site could give the impression that it is okay to disclose the intimate details of one’s life, whether true or false. The information on social media sites is not checked for accuracy or proof. Youth users can create a false life, vent their feelings and frustrations to their followers, and receive affirmation and attention when. The possibilities for error seem endless.
“Our youth are inundated with images of how to think and behave, which reinforce stereotypes, gender bias, and lifestyle choices that have the power to shape the opinions of individuals. It is critical to give students the tools to analyze the role the mass media plays in influencing individual and group behavior, and to identify the primary and secondary agents of socialization and evaluate their influence.”(4)
As stated in the previous quote, youth socialization through social media sites involves a large amount of images and messages at an increasing capacity. While the sites do not control what information is shared and received, sites like Twitter can play a role with youth by serving as an outlet for personal expression. With that being said, it seems vital that youth receive education in media literacy in order to establish privacy and resist persuasion.
Social Networks are often used as a playground of escape for young Americans. Whether for work, in class, or at home; most of the youth use social media as a “TOY”. It’s fun and exciting and it occupies time. It allows one to communicate with another to find out who’s doing what, with whom and why?
Egyptian youth have utilized the same social networks in an entirely different format. With all the recent protests that have taken place in Egypt; they have used social networks as a powerful “TOOL” to help give insight to people across the nation on what’s really going on in Egypt.
One article discusses how several youth activists used the social networks to organize protests. During the violent times, young Egyptians used networks, such as Twitter, as a way to get information out to the public on the status of their country. The adult response? Blockage! Officials shut down internet usage access the country.
American adults could respond negatively if American youth took a similar action, but because of the Democratic nature of our society, it could also have some key differences. President Obama saw the value in social media during his 2008 campaign. As a result, many youth came out to vote. The question now is whether or not the youth could use those same tools to successfully connect to adults and leaders? Would American youth even view the networks as tools? Americans may perceive the voting system as their means to voicing their concerns.
So while youth in America are using, sometimes abusing, the social networks as toys to entertain themselves on a daily basis; they could and should be taking notes from the youth in Egypt. Social networks can be fun, but ultimately they can be used as tools to promote peace, to educate others, and to unify people across the nation.
Here are two great videos on the protests in Egypt. The second is rather lengthy, but very informative.
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Sunday, February 06, 2011
Media In Society: Youth and Social Media
In this Technology age, it is as though each individual is in constant contact with the public. A new, fun, and exciting way to connect is always being introduced for the world to enjoy. Through popular social media formats, it is as if one’s peers are in all places at all times. While this seems positive, there are also some negative aspects. Social media sites like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter can be a wonderful way to communicate with individuals by networking, small chatting, or even finding love. However, posting the wrong information on these sites can result in one being fired from work, suspended from school, or dumped by their spouse.
While social media affects every age group; youth are especially at risk to experience the most damage. In thinking about how this predominance in our society affects youth, we will explore the roles and impact of social media usage on today’s youth. Social media and texting have become such common tools of communication that they could become a crutch for some adolescents. Young people may have trouble developing even the most basic communication skills, such as introducing themselves to others. At the same time, that excessive dependence may come with a level of comfort in freely sharing personal information without regard to privacy or security.
During the course of the Spring 2011 semester, we will consider overarching issues regarding privacy and interpersonal communication. Each week will delve deeper into issues within those topic areas. We hope you will follow us and share your perspective!
Issues Affecting Youth and Social Media:
Privacy:“Something as simple as a status update on Facebook or Twitter could give complete strangers an easy way to monitor certain aspects of your life.”
Identity Theft
Sexual Predators
Stalkers
Interpersonal Communication: “When looking for the words to express something personal; it just seems easier to send a text than to have to look them in the eye.”
