Making Cents out of Teens
Upon watching PBS Frontline’s “Making Cents out of Teens,” I was aware of most of the items they discussed. However, I found music and midriffs to be particularly interesting.
I especially relate to the nonmainstream music. When I was in middle school, I did my best to listen to the radio as often as possible so I could memorize the lyrics of the popular songs that were played. However, last year I attended a LANY concert with my friend. This band is not extremely unpopular, but their songs are not regularly played on the radio. Though a simple concert, this event changed my perspective and outlook on unpopular music. From that day on, I began searching for new, non-mainstream music and found joy when I discovered new artists and songs. I became more particular about my music taste, developed a larger appreciation for music in general, and was more critical of the lyrics, songs, and singers. I now take pride when an unpopular artist I have been following starts to develop fame. For example, I found Lauv nearly a year and a half ago when he had a little over 100,000 Spotify listeners, and he now has nearly 17 million listeners. Though not as mainstream as other artists, such as Justin Bieber, Khalid, or Nicki Minaj, he definitely has gained a larger following since I discovered him for myself. Ever since the LANY concert, I now rarely listen to the radio and tend to go out of my way to find new and different music.
Another idea that was touched on was the way companies customize ads to exploit young women. girls and boys. Girls are attracted to midriffs or premature adult consumed with physical appearances and sex. The part that was very interesting to me was the idea feedback loop. Much like a positive feedback mechanism (mentioned in previous posts), the feedback loop is a vicious cycle in which companies look at teens and show them exaggerated images of themselves, resulting in teens mirroring that image and companies utilizing this idea to further their advertisements. This idea is something that will continue to plague the advertising world, as there is no way to escape from its inevitable clutches.
Do you really think that there's no way for us to escape the advertising world's "inevitable clutches"? I'm not saying I disagree or anything, but I would like to have some sort of hope that with the passing of time, more people will come to these conclusions and make efforts to change this part of our world rather than allowing our world to be consumed by such materialistic and superficial ideals.
ReplyDeletePerhaps "inevitable clutches" is the wrong phrase. No, I do not think escaping the advertising world's inescapable clutches is impossible. However, because we are so consumed with these advertisements, I feel like it is a very difficult task. I hope people can see through companies' tricky strategies, but as of right now, I feel as if the pressure they create is something that is inescapable. Though it is not impossible to clear ourselves of these false expectations, I think it is very difficult. As time passes, however, it is very likely these expectations could change for the better.
DeleteI think that sometimes everybody wants to fit in, and sometimes everybody wants to be different. And I feel like no matter what, the human race will always be trying to please somebody. I hate to say it but I think that that is true, possibly we will have some sort of revelation in the future, but it's sort of hard for me to believe because it seems like we have had so many years just trying to either fit in by being the same or fit in by being different.
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