The American Dream Teen

The American Teen

The american teenager is a social group that has experienced some pretty intense distorting. As I think about the portrayal of teens in the media it is painfully obvious to me that there are a lot of people out there exploiting an image of teens that excites and entertains viewers -- definitely not building them up.

There are a whole host of T.V. shows out there screaming messages of how immoral teens are. Whole television show seasons with plots based on who's sleeping with who.

What about the normal kids? The ones getting ready for college and trying to use their talents to serve their friends and communities? What about those kids?

Aside from sex, the media makes teens out to be lazy, unmotivated and addiction-ridden. The media creates clear "classes" or social compartments that every kid needs to fit into, as seen in this video:

Here's a link to an article showing what some real american teens think about their portrayal in the media: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Does-the-media-portray-teens-as-they-really-are-2876526.php

Which brings up the point, what do other countries think of American teens because of our media? More important yet, what to American teens think of themselves because of our media?

The media is sending clear, messages that our teens our hyper-sexualized, binge-drinking, image-obsessed kids who are ready for action. And the longer it goes on, the more effective those messages become. 

-Aaron Butler