The past two videos I have watched in zero period have showed me that people will change to be certain characters that they aren't. Or they will act a certain way because older people do so. A scary example of this is when a girl was talking way to mature than her age was. She was acting like she was an adult when she was barely a teenager. And the way she talked and dressed was repulsive. I couldn't stand watching this thirteen-year-old girl talking in an interview like she was fully grown. It wasn't right. But because of media and the way that women speak and act, young girls pick up on this and feel that they need to act the same way.
When I saw this, I never would've been convinced to act like an older kid or try to fit the role that is displayed for men in media. I wouldn't have cared about it because I still see myself as a teenager who can't be like the men that are shown in media. But I now see that others are willing to change themselves so that they fit to these roles that people make. This all just shows how condescending media can be to the younger audience. The way that people act and the character that they display is like a role model for kids. They want to be exactly like the people on Tv or in the movies. It is wrong to think like this because kids still have a long life before they have to be adults and act like them. We're trying to be old while we are young. Everyone wants to seem mature, but its gone very far from what is acceptable.
As for me, I don't think Ill change the way that I see media. I don't think that I will be so influenced by it that I will completely change who I am so that I can be like the people in media. I see how this can be a way to be accepted by your peers, but it also stems from the fact that one doesn't accept themselves in their current state. Besides me, others see that they need to change so that they conform to the way that media wants them to think they need to be. Its unfortunate, but it works. So while I don't get affected much by the media, I have seen how many others take media more seriously in their lives than I do.
I agree. At some point in everyone's lives, people are persuaded by a media source or an influential figure (friend, relative, older person, etc.) that convinces them to buy a product from a certain company. This connects to what Douglas Rushkoff mentioned in Merchants of Cool. He said that this is all a part of the feedback loop. This consists of the media watching kids, and they sell them an image of themselves (kids). Then, the kids start watching those images and aspire to be the person in the TV. I believe the majority of the kids in this world follow media closely, since they feel they are in the "in crowd" and they won't be judged by others around them. It is the easiest way to feel "accepted," rather than following the beat of your own drum and being "alone." No one dreams of being by themselves all the time. It is more difficult to be unique and not be criticized by outside influences. Why follow this pathway, when there is an easier one right next to you?
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