Human Development Writing Project: Media Analysis
Today there are many different theories and perspectives on the how’s, what’s and why’s of human development. With so many theories out there it is hard to tell which one is an accurate portrayal in terms of the research that is being done. However, on the other hand one could say that with so many theories out there it is easier to find information in order to further one’s research. The first step in looking for human development research should be knowing what the base for one’s research is. For instance, it could be researching to support human development theories with a person of middle age, an infant, a social media platform or a TV show. For this particular investigation on human development …show more content…
6) Gossip Girl is a 6 season series that focuses on the life of, Dan Humphries, a teenager who lives in Brooklyn, New York. The series portrays Brooklyn as the lower end of society where the poor are said to live. A couple blocks away is the Upper East Side where the richest of the rich live and this is where Dan and the “Upper Eastsiders” lives intertwine, at the high school he attends. Throughout the series it examines the lives of Dan and all the people he comes into contact with such as his first high school crush Serena van der Woodsen. Besides Dan being the main human focus of the TV show another main focus is “Gossip Girl” which is an anonymous person who sends out texts relating to the hottest gossip surrounding all of the high school students. With Dan and his friends falling into peer pressure, lying, cheating, deceiving and stealing they already find themselves in multiple messy situations. Add Gossip Girl, spilling the beans on every shady move committed by these high school students and one could understand how this TV series was an addictive pastime for the many teenagers who watched the series from start to …show more content…
One could be quick to judge and explain how the series would only be damaging because it portrays events such as drug abuse, premarital sex, divorce, cheating, lying, gossiping and acts of suicide. Clearly, these situations that are being portrayed are not ideal and many would say that one learns by example. Therefore, the conclusion that an adolescent viewing this series might think that committing these acts in their own day-to-day life would be acceptable could be drawn. Mishra, Parra and Abeel (2014) state, “Although failure can be discouraging and time-consuming, it presents incredible learning opportunities—the biggest difference between those who succeed and those who abandon their projects lies in their response to adversity” (p. 1). With this being said, one could look at the positive side of this series and see how it can be used as a learning experience to better viewer’s future actions they may decide to take in life. Though the series may portray events such as drinking, lying and cheating it also examines the outcomes of these poor choices the characters find themselves making. More often than not the outcomes of the poor decisions put the characters in unpleasant situations, which the viewer can easily see they would not like to find themselves in. Ultimately, it is up to the viewer and their maturity level to decide what they are
Today there are many different theories and perspectives on the how’s, what’s and why’s of human development. With so many theories out there it is hard to tell which one is an accurate portrayal in terms of the research that is being done. However, on the other hand one could say that with so many theories out there it is easier to find information in order to further one’s research. The first step in looking for human development research should be knowing what the base for one’s research is. For instance, it could be researching to support human development theories with a person of middle age, an infant, a social media platform or a TV show. For this particular investigation on human development …show more content…
6) Gossip Girl is a 6 season series that focuses on the life of, Dan Humphries, a teenager who lives in Brooklyn, New York. The series portrays Brooklyn as the lower end of society where the poor are said to live. A couple blocks away is the Upper East Side where the richest of the rich live and this is where Dan and the “Upper Eastsiders” lives intertwine, at the high school he attends. Throughout the series it examines the lives of Dan and all the people he comes into contact with such as his first high school crush Serena van der Woodsen. Besides Dan being the main human focus of the TV show another main focus is “Gossip Girl” which is an anonymous person who sends out texts relating to the hottest gossip surrounding all of the high school students. With Dan and his friends falling into peer pressure, lying, cheating, deceiving and stealing they already find themselves in multiple messy situations. Add Gossip Girl, spilling the beans on every shady move committed by these high school students and one could understand how this TV series was an addictive pastime for the many teenagers who watched the series from start to …show more content…
One could be quick to judge and explain how the series would only be damaging because it portrays events such as drug abuse, premarital sex, divorce, cheating, lying, gossiping and acts of suicide. Clearly, these situations that are being portrayed are not ideal and many would say that one learns by example. Therefore, the conclusion that an adolescent viewing this series might think that committing these acts in their own day-to-day life would be acceptable could be drawn. Mishra, Parra and Abeel (2014) state, “Although failure can be discouraging and time-consuming, it presents incredible learning opportunities—the biggest difference between those who succeed and those who abandon their projects lies in their response to adversity” (p. 1). With this being said, one could look at the positive side of this series and see how it can be used as a learning experience to better viewer’s future actions they may decide to take in life. Though the series may portray events such as drinking, lying and cheating it also examines the outcomes of these poor choices the characters find themselves making. More often than not the outcomes of the poor decisions put the characters in unpleasant situations, which the viewer can easily see they would not like to find themselves in. Ultimately, it is up to the viewer and their maturity level to decide what they are