Magazines and the Teenage Girl

Every woman or girl at some time in their life has picked up one of the various celebrity gossip or beauty magazines. In turn, these magazines have exhibited the hegemonic ideals of beauty: thin, toned, blond haired women, that the average woman works to desperately become. Teenage girls are most vulnerable to these idealistic images of women, and their perceptions of the world and their futures are based on what they read in such magazines such as Us, Seventeen, People, Cosmo, etc. According to Kelley Massoni, teenage girls are increasingly believing that modeling is a realistic and prestigious career that they can aspire to. In reality, few people become models because it is such a hard profession to break into due to the limited number of jobs, specific bodily attributes, and various checklists each advertising campaign or modeling agency looks for in a certain model. Yet, teenage girls fail to look in the real world, believing that modeling is the best career for a woman, especially since males are assumed to be the only ones capable of holding power or truly working. Consequently, many young girls are beginning to associate females as the inferior sex who always has to listen to their male bosses. Women are not merely figures of beauty or sexual objects as magazines exemplify, they can have positions of power and influence the world. In order to change this problem in American society, these magazines need to promote better role models than Heidi Klum or today's most recent icon/ model, that are doing something meaningful as a profession, and are not employed in the entertainment industry.

However, as Massoni later points out African American women are less likely to be influenced by these "controlling images" in such magazines, since the models or individuals are primarily white and these women have developed strategies to resist such images. If only white teenage girls could develop such strategies then they would not have to constantly fight the battle to be thin, buy the latest fashion accessory, or learn new strategies in relationships. Above are a conglomeration of magazine covers depicting the common themes of women as sexual objects in the nearly naked magazine covers of a few celebrities leaving little to the imagination, or specifically through plastic surgery patient Ashlee Simpson-Wentz who like many teens altered her image to fit in with the ideal beauty standards. The countless covers of Us magazine exemplify the superficiality of many stories they cover, highlighting to the American public a false sense of what is important. Additionally, all the individuals, particularly the females again, look flawless despite the crises or problems or joy they are experiencing. Definitely, the many magazines available to the American public, particularly to teenage girls are altering their perceptions of the world as they believe they can become a model or actress or as beautiful as Jennifer Aniston, or Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, in simply reading these magazines. The relationship between magazines and youth female culture is definitely strongly linked, and hopefully this can be countered in the future if more favorable, realistic, and plain women are featured on the covers or in stories in these fickle magazines.

Video Games As We Know It

Video games, video games, video games. At one point in our lives, we have touched or played some sort of virtual game. Nearly 90% of families own some sort of console, according the movie we recently watched in class, and this statistic is unfathomable, especially with the negative effects associated with violent video games. Violent video games are very popular among America's youth as they captivate these individual's attention with their intricate plots and fast paced scenes filled with killing. Yet, these games today are being debated as encouraging aggressive tendencies and violence in primarily teenage boys.
Violent games train players to shoot on instinct and rewards you for killing someone, in turn triggering feelings of pleasure of the users whenever they hurt someone. Boys beginning associate killing or violence with feeling good, and this could possibly encourage these boys to be aggressive in the real world as they have learned to associate violence with pleasure. Video games are beginning to represent society, or as a way to understand culture, since many teenagers in my opinion will begin believing what they see in the game. It would be terrible that youth would think society would deem such actions as beating up a random individual in the street, shooting cops, or raping then killing women to acceptable in society, as Grand Theft Auto portrays in the video below. Individuals have trouble even distinguishing reality from these video games because they play for hours upon hours, and that the graphics have become incredibly realistic. For example, in the Grand Theft Auto video above, the scenes depicted look like they almost came straight from a movie, so it is easy for me to believe that many players get lost or caught up in these games.
I was shocked in class when the "Game Over" video we watched did not mention anything about Grand Theft Auto, one of the most horrific and violent games out there. It is so violent and unwarranted that I remember a specific 60 Minutes report from when I was in middle school. I believe I found the transcript of the report here. This specific video game has been hotly debated each time a new version is released, because there is no other video game like it. It allows you to steal cars, kill cops, throw grenades at innocent bystanders, etc as depicted in this video. In fact, as this report details a young man may have killed 3 men due to violent tendencies developed from this game. These men were cops, or the "bad guys," of the video game this young man played "night and day for months," and it is suspected that Grand Theft Auto conditioned this killing response. Yet, in contrast to the article and the movie shown in class I believe violent video games really don't lead to aggressive tendencies. People who play them nonstop merely get very involved or even emotionally tied to the game, and once they snap out of that fantasy world they are full functioning, normal human beings. My brother is one such example as he played a computer game seven hours a day for four months, and I can honestly say he would never dare hurt anyone, and rarely even swears. Perhaps each player is affected differently by violent video games, and it will probably always be impossible to concretely tell whether such games do trigger violent behavior.

The Real World as We Know It

Media representations today have come to represent the real world, or constitute what we think is real. As Croteau and Hoynes emphatically point out media content does not reflect the real social world, and I definitely agree with this statement. What we see or hear in TV, magazines, the Internet, over the radio, etc, subconsciously affects our outlook of reality and the world. Audiences have difficulty in distinguishing how closely media represents reality as they are bombarded by thousands of media messages and have to figure out what is meaningful. Additionally, the American public is more aware of the lack of diversity or the overemphasis placed on violence, then the messages they are subconsciously absorbing. In other words, what we see or hear projected by mass media we take to be true in some context as we do not have much to compare it to. The onslaught of television shows depicting sexual content, is one critical factor in how American society is being shaped by media. In such shows as Grey's Anatomy, Gossip Girl, 90210, or Melrose Place to name a few exhibit highly sexual individuals always frantically on the hunt for sex or fulfillment. Seeing these representations that do not reflect the real world triggers many individuals to believe that a normal human always craves sex, and never desires any emotional/deeper relationship.
In Melrose Place which I began watching this year, the sexual conquests of each character are the highlight of the show and each character is highly sexual and youthful, as you can see in the above picture. Viewing a show such as Melrose Place, prompts me to think that I am not a typical individual since I do not engage in sexual encounters, or throw myself at anything male. Yet in today's society, this concept of one-night stands or hook-ups are becoming increasingly prevalent, probably as a result of being exposed to such television shows constantly. Relationships are no longer the norm as people are beginning to use the opposite sex merely to fulfill their desires, and this superficiality in terms of love definitely is highlighted on TV where most characters are involved in intricate love plots. Creators of media know the power of their messages, and often use their programs to comment on the social world, leading to more absorption of "fake" values or norms.
I found this very interesting article online that substantiates what I have been expressing. Teens exposed frequently to sex scenes in television are far more likely to initiate sex in the subsequent months after watching such shows. This sexual exploration is very important at an early age and few shows elaborate on the risks involved with promiscuous behavior. In this age of increasing sexuality and sexual behavior, one has to be aware of the risks involved, yet the messages in television merely highlight the fun of sex without delving into the consequences. Therefore, this "fun activity" is something almost every American wants to do, and often.

Globalization

The increasing trend towards globalization in today's society is changing forms of communication, and in turn relationships. Since media has proliferated into so many mediums, communication is now instantaneous and can occur in variety of ways such as over the phone, through e-mail, on aim, on Facebook, on Skype, or on other various social networking sites. Consequently, physical distance is being trivialized since individuals communicate in the same way with their neighbors as with people scattered throughout the world. Media in my opinion is bringing people closer together by facilitating communication, since people can easily maintain difficult long distance relationships in a variety of ways. From what I have glimpsed at college and from my friend's experiences, there are more long distance relationships from high school still carrying on strongly in college. This is probably due to the fact that couples can communicate a lot easier and as often as they want, in contrast to the past where it was only possible through "snail mail." I attached an interesting article here that explores how college students maintain their long distance relationships primarily through new media such as phones or aim. This article also delves into how these new technologies add to the increasing number of successful number of long distance relationships, which I discussed briefly.
This dependence on new media for communication is central to many Americans as it assists them in their time crunch. Telephones, e-mail, and various other mediums compress time which is very helpful for the all too busy average American. Time is of the essence, and something we always have too little of, so the extra minutes we save daily in these forms of communication add up to days in the long run.
Another major component of globalization is that media is becoming more accessible to people worldwide. Since vast networks of communication have been established, mainly through the Internet, certain ideas, images, and sounds are transmitted to cultures across the world. The Web has been equated with more interconnectedess worldwide as humans across the world can go online and access the latest music, comment on any issues that they care about with people they would never have met in real life. No longer do people live isolated in their homes as new media today connects them to the entire world, a world of nearly unlimited options. Consequently, aspects of culture are easily being traded and incorporated in other various cultures, creating new unique forms of music, different types of consumerism, and so forth. As you can see in this picture many negatives are associated in terms of Western ideals (and restaurants) springing up in very historical places such as Rome, because they are so popular and in such high demand.
Overall globalization is playing a significant role in today's world. Relationships can occur over the Web without even having met the other person, and all in all with the enhancement and ease of communication, relationships are becoming a lot easier to maintain. Additionally, media by breaking down physical distance connects us to remote places of the world, which is very exciting. However, we will have to see in the upcoming years whether globalization is as positive a trend as we believe.

The Fabricated, Distorting Power of Facebook

Facebook is the world's number one social networking site, and millions of people have succumbed and created their own account. Although, Mark Zuckerburg created this site to facilitate communication between family and friends, Facebook today has altered the lines of public and private according to Danah Boyd, placing more emphasis on the insignificant as Monica Hesse points out. The creation of "The News Feed" in 2006 spiked indignation from many Facebook users since much of their private daily happenings were now made public. Yet, this debate eventually fizzled out and the news feed is now an inherent part of Facebook. People are fascinated with this aspect of Facebook as they can delve into the lives of any of their virtual friends with the click of a button. Although, Facebook was created with the intention of easing communication, according to Boyd, this access to everyone's news feed allows users to obsess over otherwise insignificant aspects, such as who posted on who's wall first, or who changed their profile picture containing you. Everything you post you have to keep in mind how others will react, as something simple may in fact offend another since you cannot convey a sense of tone via the internet. Ironically, more fights ensure over these insignificant issues, as what is insignificant now becomes public and important. For example, it is common belief among most teens that a couple is not official until they are "Facebook Official,"and Facebook being this end all be all site about relationships, really is corrupting connections.
Facebook controls today's relationships, as shown in this powerful image.
Danah Boyd goes on later to say that Facebook creates a "fake intimacy," by allowing a user access to another acquaintance's profile whom they probably do not know very well in person, but know all their personal details due to "Facebook stalking." In other words, it is so much easier to alienate friends in today's society due to the different varieties of media and the unlimited access of one's personal life via Facebook. It comes as no surprise that the average American now has less friends than 20 years ago, because people get angry so much more easily over things that never were an issue or existed before Facebook.
Monica Hesse discusses in her article how many Facebook groups are very insignificant as well, even if they promote a cause. Though hundreds of people are joining certain causes or events, the effect in reality is negligble. This is because there are too many events or causes on Facebook, and a user normally just clicks escape to exit the suggestions quickly or because they agree in their short precursory glance of the group. In my opinion, this "click through activism," is a failure as it generates support in the moment, leading to a cause quickly forgotten, or users do not even know what they are joining, as in the example of the Stork Fountain.
Clearly both of these authors highlight the negative aspects of Facebook. People's lives are completely exposed on Facebook, and friendships are becoming more superficial as they are based on this digital friendship, but can easily fall apart since reactions cannot be controlled.I cannot help but be disgusted that people are judged by what they post on Facebook, or the lack of attention they give when joining a worthy cause, but that is how Facebook operates today: on a primarily insignificant, superficial level.

Here is an entertaining video that discusses in a song how this user is constantly monitoring other people's statues, meeting individuals online, and stalking their profiles. I think this is a fairly good summary of what I discussed.

What Kind of Tech User Are You?

"You are an Media Mover

If you are a Media Mover, you have a wide range of online and mobile habits, and you are bound to find or create an information nugget, such as a digital photo, and pass it on. These social exchanges are central to your use of information and communication technology. Cyberspace, as a path to personal productivity or an outlet for creativity, is less important to you."

I took this survey, having no idea what my result would be. However, I feel that this statement is not entirely true. I rarely pass any information to another individual, rather I use the internet to research topics I am interested in or current hot news topics. Social exchanges are important though for me, so this result is slightly on the mark, especially since I am not creative at all and feel no desire to share this trait.

New Technology, New Worlds

Mass media has proliferated into a variety of new communications, which in turn has come to redefine and shape the character of our social relationships today. Originally, "snail mail" was the only way to contact friends or family that lived far away, and today there are unlimited options with the creation of the internet and phone. It only takes seconds to reconnect to someone living in Hong Kong for instance, and this ease in communication has definitely made relationships easier to sustain, and even created connections via the media. The traditional role of the audience as the receiver has been transformed, as a media message is not only unidirectional since the receiver today now has capabilities to send their own messages or responses.
The advances of the internet, besides blurring the distinction between the individual and audience as Croteau & Hoynes remarks, has created many new social sites or "virtual communities" as Sherry Turkle calls it. According to this theory, people all over the world can become virtual "neighbors," not requiring any face to face interaction, and this is seen in countless social networking sites, or even online games. Match.com, E-harmony are examples of such communities where you can locate your future spouse just by creating your own profile, and thousands of successful marriages have resulted from such networking. In my opinion, a bigger component of this virtual community are the virtual gaming sites that consume many teenage boy's free time, such as World of Warcraft (WOW,) XBOX live, or CounterStrike as my own brother plays incessantly. As I have learned from primarily my brother's example, he only knows the fake names of his fellow teammates, yet somehow manages to befriend such a group of unlikely people without having ever met them. These games create a fantasy world for their players, and caught up in the violence and fantasy, these individuals form what I call superficial relationships based on their love of the game. A prime example with this obsession of virtual communities, is this teenage boy's dramatic meltdown when his mom cancels his WOW account.
In this new age of the internet, people with limitless options for interaction with their virtual neighbors, allows them to take on new identities. You can be whoever you want to be in cyberspace because no one knows who you truly are, and this alluring aspect of the internet leads many individuals to establish new names for themselves so they can escape any painful reputation from their actual life. As I was writing this, the song "Online" by Brad Paisley definitely summarizes this point, as it tells the story of a fat, ugly boy who creates a Myspace page where he is a model, beautiful and attractive, thus can attract any girl he desires for once in his life.