Teens In the Media

I don't like the way teens are portrayed in the media. I believe teens are portrayed in T.V. as very dramatic, and always having some kind of conflict. Teens do tend to be more dramatic than adults but the way it is portrayed in T.V. is much more exaggerated. In shows like 90210, and Gossip girl the teens are always in some sort of trouble. They always drama in the show to try and keep it interesting, which i think gives parents a bad example of what teens are actually like.

Newspapers and the news on T.V. usually show an accurate teen life, if it's newsworthy. the news will report stabbing or guns brought to school, but they never report on regular teen life, that I know of. I have also seen reports when teens do incredibly selfless or courageous things, but then again not all teens run in marathons for illnesses, or donate blood to save lives; it's almost as if the same theory for gossip girl applies, the more the drama in a situation the more are going to watch that particular program.

I believe that the documentary we watched about teens in the media opened my eyes to what great lengths these researchers go through to try and get our opinion on the latest fashions and music. I had no idea they hired teens to brag about a certain product, or artist. I know there is no way to escape the media and it's advertisements, but now that I have watched the documentary I am more aware of the media around me. In the documentary it showed young girls dancing for the camera, although was a horrible thing for a 13 year old to do, I believe that not every 13 year old is like that. I think because she was told she looks much older than 13 she felt the need to act older than she actually was to try and please the people and the media around her.

I believe that teens are negatively portrayed in the media, but there isn't really anything we can do about it. Media is everywhere and the only thing we can do is be aware, and be smart about it.