This unit was all about how the entertainment and news media does not reflect the diversity of the real world. So, I wanted to explore how realistic the media portrays school in the United States. When I was younger I attended a private school and used to watch family sitcoms that would portray public high school students and I always thought that 's how it was.... boy was I wrong! My sophomore year I transferred to a public high school and it was nothing like the image that the media created for a typical high school in the United States. I 've always wanted to understand why the media (TV shows, movies, etc.) often does not portray schooling how it actually is. So the goal of this essay is to discuss why the media does not portray realistic
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When I attended high school there was no football jocks walking around with their varsity jackets all day and there was not people getting beaten up for their lunch money. These are just a few examples of misleading and stereotypical portrayals of high school that the media gives us. I’m not going to say that there is no drama in high school, because there definitely is, my point is that the media makes it seems like these are the only types of problems that go on in high school. Consuming alcohol, illegal drugs, pre-marital sex, and rebellion are the cornerstones of adolescence in the eyes of Hollywood (Faulkner 2008). While some these situations do make-up a teen’s life, the media definitely exaggerates it by a lot. This leads to my argument on why the media does not portray a realistic view of high school. Generally speaking, films try to appeal to the emotions of its viewers. Moreover, adolescents are usually emotional, so movies and TV shows can have a huge effect (Faulkner 2008). If these kids are emotionally attracted to the movie, they are more likely to spend money on it and as a result it helps with their sales. Ultimately, the numbers never lie and movies such as Mean Girls and 21 Jumpstreet are some of the highest grossing films among the teenager (IMDb 2014). I’m not going to say that the media is doing this …show more content…
When kids watch these movies it would be great to see what situations they will actually encounter rather than just exaggerate the whole experience. Hollywood needs to do a better job of actually trying to reach out to their teen audience rather than just smooch money off of them. However, some of these films can benefit teens as well because they can provide them with ways to respond and act to situations that they may have never encountered. Also, the entertainment that these films and TV shows provide can be used to keep these teenagers out of trouble for couple hours out of the day. Although there are some positives to it, we have to keep in perspective that being deceived by the media can damage the lives of many young people out there. Furthermore, it is clear that entertainment and news media do not reflect the diversity and the reality of the world we live in. The dynamic relationship between the media and the social is a tough code to crack (Croteau & Hoynes 2014). Ultimately, you can look at the portrayal of teenagers in the media as a double-edged sword. It can negatively affect the development of a teenager and their reputation; however, it can also help kid them in their journey to
When I attended high school there was no football jocks walking around with their varsity jackets all day and there was not people getting beaten up for their lunch money. These are just a few examples of misleading and stereotypical portrayals of high school that the media gives us. I’m not going to say that there is no drama in high school, because there definitely is, my point is that the media makes it seems like these are the only types of problems that go on in high school. Consuming alcohol, illegal drugs, pre-marital sex, and rebellion are the cornerstones of adolescence in the eyes of Hollywood (Faulkner 2008). While some these situations do make-up a teen’s life, the media definitely exaggerates it by a lot. This leads to my argument on why the media does not portray a realistic view of high school. Generally speaking, films try to appeal to the emotions of its viewers. Moreover, adolescents are usually emotional, so movies and TV shows can have a huge effect (Faulkner 2008). If these kids are emotionally attracted to the movie, they are more likely to spend money on it and as a result it helps with their sales. Ultimately, the numbers never lie and movies such as Mean Girls and 21 Jumpstreet are some of the highest grossing films among the teenager (IMDb 2014). I’m not going to say that the media is doing this …show more content…
When kids watch these movies it would be great to see what situations they will actually encounter rather than just exaggerate the whole experience. Hollywood needs to do a better job of actually trying to reach out to their teen audience rather than just smooch money off of them. However, some of these films can benefit teens as well because they can provide them with ways to respond and act to situations that they may have never encountered. Also, the entertainment that these films and TV shows provide can be used to keep these teenagers out of trouble for couple hours out of the day. Although there are some positives to it, we have to keep in perspective that being deceived by the media can damage the lives of many young people out there. Furthermore, it is clear that entertainment and news media do not reflect the diversity and the reality of the world we live in. The dynamic relationship between the media and the social is a tough code to crack (Croteau & Hoynes 2014). Ultimately, you can look at the portrayal of teenagers in the media as a double-edged sword. It can negatively affect the development of a teenager and their reputation; however, it can also help kid them in their journey to