Hold on tight, folks, because I’m gonna get a bit theoretical today. Many people tend to get nervous when talking about research. Still, it is SO important to know about it, especially when understanding the effects of media on teens and young adults. Social theories try to help explain why people behave the way they do. In terms of media, social learning theory tends to … Continue reading What Teens Learn from Watching Television: Part 1
Commercials are great. I see tons of them daily, and none are funnier than the auto insurance commercials I love. But for some reason, a recent State Farm commercial has caught my attention. You may have seen it: it starts with a single man who claims he will never get married, has kids, and never move to the suburbs. However, by the end of the … Continue reading State Farm Commercial: I’m Never Letting Go
Hulu has Sailor Moon listed under shows that are LGBT-friendly. Most people who watched the American version of the series in the 90s and early 2000s would probably be confused. How can a children’s series be so LGBT-friendly? We remember the Sailor Scouts kicking some serious butt. Indeed they did, and IT WAS AWESOME. However, what many people don’t know is that there are some … Continue reading Case Study: Sailor Moon S
I’ll make this short and sweet. On Jan 31st, Fox premiered its production of Grease Live! It featured a brand new cast and guest musical performances. While I won’t get into specifics about the show, I do want to highlight two significant changes from the original movie that was memorable. First, there were more interracial couples and characters of color this time than in the 1978 movie. … Continue reading Case Study: Grease Live!
Ever wonder where those movie ratings came from? G, PG, PG-13, R, and the elusive NC-17? There is an incredible history behind the development of those ratings, especially the more mature ones. This Film is Not Yet Rated is a 2006 documentary that explores the history of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rating system (Dick, 2006). Interestingly enough, in the early days of … Continue reading The history of the movie rating system: A review of This Film is Not Yet Rated
There has been a push (for ages now) for getting families to talk about the media their teens consume. It is so important to talk about it because it is a significant part of their lives. It might be difficult and awkward as an adult to relate to what young people watch today, and there may be an urge to condemn everything at first glance. … Continue reading For Families: How to use the TV and movie rating system as a conversation starter
We’ve all had that experience at some point in our lives. We’re sitting at home, watching our favorite show (perhaps a family comedy or teen drama), and suddenly the person or people next to us start a dialogue. A rather LOUD one. You might smile back in politeness, but you are annoyed inside. You might quietly shush them or try to redirect them back to … Continue reading Talking while watching TV: The secret art of media literacy
Patricia Morency: Media Critique Chic 