Media and the Modern Adolescents - Essay Example

Media and the Modern Adolescents Introduction According to the study conducted by Sanders (n.d), the everyday lives of the people in Western societies have been greatly influenced by mass media. One of the major effects of TV, movies, magazines, and internet is the persistent broadcast of societal beauty ideals (Sanders, n.d.). A media critic named George Gerbner states that “what we see on TV and in magazines eventually becomes our standard of reality and desire.” Obviously, this observation of Gerbner is very much clear and apparent in our generation today especially to female adolescents.

The Mediums The average hours of watching television is more than four (4) hours a day (www.csun.edu, Television & Health). What adolescent females see on TV can be very influential on their daily lives especially on how they look, talk, and walk. One of the most popular television series today is Gossip Girl. It is a television series that features American teen drama portraying the “It” girls. The female characters portray different roles but the main thought is how to become “It” girl or the popular and almost perfect girl in the society and school.

Because of this television show, a lot of teens today try so hard to become sexy, trendy, and to become the “B” or “S” of the Gossip Girl. I often come across teens today saying “XOXO”, or calling each other by the first letter of their names like “S” for Samantha, “J” for Justine and the like. Because of this, I can definitely say that television series as a form of mass media is very influential when it comes to the desire and ideals of a person or of society. Moreover, magazines like Seventeen which has over 13 million subscribers monthly are also very influential to the teens today (Tartakovsky, 2008).

The magazines for teens today feature thin and beautiful models and talk about the perfect party hair, how to get abs, pretty looks or achieving the best body (Tartakovsky, 2008). Each of the readers looks forward to achieving the outcome of becoming thin, pretty and model like teenager, one that will surely become the “It” girl of the society or the school. The magazines now give and set off standards of who is beautiful and popular and who is not. Teenagers buy these kinds of magazines to guide them to become like those celebrities and models featured in the magazines.

I can barely see models that are not so sexy and not so beautiful. If magazines feature these types of people, the message will surely convey how “not” to become like them. Like television and magazines, the music video is also becoming influential to the reality and desire of the society. The people featured in music videos in our time today are becoming sexier and prettier with all the clothes and make-ups they have. Teens today want to become like “Lady Gaga”, “Britney” or “Beyonce”.

Aside from their talents, all these women are known and famous for their beauty and nice body. The music videos in our generation today feature not only the talents, but also the looks of the singers or artists. Some of the videos do not go with the song or the message of the song, instead they focus on the celebrities and their new look that sets the new standard of being sexy and beautiful. The Effect The thinner bodies shown in television, magazines and music videos set the image ideal for the women.

According to the research study of Sanders (n.d.), a lot of adolescents feel very dissatisfied with their figures and want to be thin because of the ideal image of a person set by the media. What are shown in the media is emulated by adolescent girls who they believe are their role models. A very popular theory can explain this effect of media to society. Social comparison theory of Leon Festinger states that “individuals have a tendency to rate and evaluate themselves through comparisons with others” (Cohen, 2006).

There are two types of comparisons according to this theory: downward comparison when one compares oneself to that worse off and upward comparison when an individual compares oneself to those seen superior (Cohen, 2006). According to Cohen (2006), downward comparison exhibits higher self-esteem while upward comparison increases depression and decreases feeling of self-worth. Thus, because of what media shows us such through television, magazines, and music videos, we seek out celebrities as social reference because of the images readily available to us.

As a result of upward comparison, people drive themselves to become like the thin and attractive media-depicted models and celebrities. Thus, media can be said to have greatly influenced the idea of body image and set the standards of reality and desire. References: Cohen, Sara. “Media Exposure and the Subsequent Effects on Body Dissatisfaction, Disordered Eating, and Drive for Thinness: A Review of the Current Research.” Mind Matters: The Wesleyan Journal of Psychology Vol. 1 (2006) 57-71. Web. 21 October 2011.

Sanders, Erica. The Influence of Media Marketing on Adolescent Girls, n.d. Web. 21 October 2011. Tartakovsky, Margarita. Minding the Media: Teen Magazines. Psych Central. Web. 21 October 2011. “Television & Health”. www.csun.edu, n.d. Web. 21 October 2011.