Why adolescents are using media!
Five reasons adolescents are using media
Entertainment
Identity Formation
High Sensation
Coping
Youth Culture Identification
Entertainment
Music, television shows, movies, magazines, social networking, as well as other forms of entertainment are all used by children, adolescents and adults for entertainment, communication, interaction and recreation. These are the mediums targeted by advertisers and marketing groups as these entertainment outlets reach large quantities of people. |
Identity Formation
Adolescence is often viewed as a critical time for ones development. Adolescence is often see as the stage in one's development that connects physical growth and psychological development. This time period is significant to forming one's identity and transitioning into adulthood. Media plays a large role in influencing adolescents in this stage of development, often desensitizing socially creating institutions such as: gender roles, homophobia, racism, sexism as well as many other social constructs. For example - Many magazines feature stories, articles, advertisements, and products that are centered around improving ones physical appearance and the qualities needed to be in a relationship. These forms of media are almost exclusively targeted and adolescent females and contribute to how young women form their views on body image and healthy relationships. |
High Sensation
Sensation seeking is a personality characteristic defined by the extent to which a person enjoys novelty and intensity of sensation. We are living in the most stimulated periods of time that has ever existed. Any type of sensation adolescents choose to seek is right at their finger tips. Seeking stimulation through sensation is very appealing to adolescents and directly linked to increased media consumption within this age demographic. For example - Thriller or action movies are largely populated by male viewers seeking the sensation of explosions, car chases and aggressive behavior. These are often characteristics many males associate with masculinity as they seek these sensations. Often sensation seeking through media outlets can have a direct correlation with creating gender roles. |
Coping
Adolescents are often using media outlets as a way to relieve and dispel negative emotions. Watching T.V., using social networking and listening to music are some of the most common strategies adolescents are using to combat feelings of anxiety, anxiousness or unhappiness. Adolescents can feel strong emotional connections to these forms of media. For example - One persons' broken heart can become someones favorite song. Adolescents can identify with song lyrics, characters in their favorite T.V. show or connect with millions of people challenged with the same issues through various forms of social networking. |
Youth Culture Identification
Media gives adolescents a sense of belonging to a youth culture or sub-culture that they can identify with. For Example - If an adolescent is interacting with a new group of adolescents, they can find belonging in that the group knowing that the socially created constructs of culture identification are very similar across countries of comparable economic status. Think of forms of youth culture that have had major impacts on adolescents over many geographic regions. EX- Gangham style, the Harlem Shake or flash mob dances. These are youth culture movements are all influenced by media. |
why is it important for adolescents to become critical thinkers?
Entertainment, Identity Formation, High Sensation, Coping and Youth Culture Identification all play an important role in the development of adolescents. Relatively uncontrolled and uncensored forms of media are easily accessed or exposed to adolescence everyday. Many forms of this media is being used as coping strategies for challenging emotions. Media outlets offer diverse models and influences, continuously exposing wide ranges of individual differences in values, beliefs, interests, and personality characteristics to every person. With such a variety of media outlets adolescents are able to chose what they want to identify with.
This is why teaching critical media skills is so important, especially for adolescents who are being exposed to so many social constructs that can drastically shape their identities and who they may or may not become as they journey into adulthood.
If our goal for educating is focuses on students developing critical thinking skills, then ultimately we can provide them with the tools that allow them to recognize how media and marketing target specific audiences with the intention of reinforcing social constructs. Hopefully adolescence can enter into adulthood as life-long learners and active community members who are not maintaining the status quo of social constructs, but rather constantly challenging their existence.
This is why teaching critical media skills is so important, especially for adolescents who are being exposed to so many social constructs that can drastically shape their identities and who they may or may not become as they journey into adulthood.
If our goal for educating is focuses on students developing critical thinking skills, then ultimately we can provide them with the tools that allow them to recognize how media and marketing target specific audiences with the intention of reinforcing social constructs. Hopefully adolescence can enter into adulthood as life-long learners and active community members who are not maintaining the status quo of social constructs, but rather constantly challenging their existence.