Reference no: EM133330230

Questions: Relate personally to the characters in the article as you read. Ever felt pressure from the media to conform in a certain way? Has there ever been a desire to buy an item because of the way it was advertised? Which items and why?

Market Savvy Teens

Newspaper Article by Kathy Friedman and Lauren Kruger

Almost two hundred youths weighed in on the subject of marketing to teens in the first Young People's Press and The Toronto Star Internet forum.

The strongest response: They are torn between two opposing forces. One tells them, "Be who you want to be." The other tells them, "Be who we want you to be."

Most said they were trying to decide whether to follow the way the media represents "coolness" or follow their own ideals and principles.

And they had a lot to say about how the media use implicit yet powerful techniques to make a profit.

Tim's response was caustic. "Instead of 'Be young, have fun, drink Pepsi,' why [don't advertisers] say it in plain English: 'You're stupid! Give us all your money!'"

There was a lot of agreement that the media simply do not give young people enough credit for realizing what's going on.

Others said the media know how important it is for adolescents to feel accepted and they exploit it.

"The media play upon people's insecurities, especially [those of] women," says Molly Bell. "They make us feel as if we aren't 'good enough' unless we have that certain product."

Although youth know companies feed on the inner workings of their psyches, they admit savvy marketing professionals are tremendously difficult to resist.

"It seems like my whole teenage life has been shaped by what the advertisers tell me is cool and what's not," says Camren A.

"It's automatic now, if it's on TV, I want it. I'm eighteen and I find it hard to pass a Gap store without thinking of the song 'They call me Mellow Yellow.'"

It was a strong theme-the media are there, the media affect what they choose to buy, and there's absolutely nothing they can do about it.

Young people said they are in constant conflict between their own values and those portrayed by the media.

Since finding one's identity is so important to teens, they look to role models for answers. That makes celebrity endorsements probably the most manipulative way to get teens to buy products, they said.

"I think for younger children, it's normal to wear clothes that a celebrity wears. At that age,

celebrities are like heroes," reflects Jennifer-Ashley Kendall. "When you reach a certain age you become more opinionated and you realize you like a certain style. You don't

care if someone else doesn't like it, it's not theirs-it's yours."

However, others admitted they still rely on celebrities to help them create an identity even as they get older.

When asked his definition of cool, Matthew replied, "I can tell, because the stars wear it, so it's cool."

Teens like to feel like they are part of something-and to many, seeing their idols promoting products helped them feel better.

"I think that celebrity endorsement is cool because if you havethe hat Tiger Woods does, youmight feel as if you are part of the game," Brian Lewis said.

Respondents also said that discovering how to be cool is a difficult and lonely process, especially since no one seems to agree what cool actually is.

What is cool?

Many argued coolness is about being true to yourself. That's easier said than done, they admitted, because the process of growing older is about finding out who you are-and many young people aren't there yet.

Sarah Leroux spoke for many when she said: "All these teens feel stereotyped and are basically

putting down the media, yet they're still buying the latest fads."

Teens must always be on top of what is "in" to make sure they are accepted. "Yes, I do find myself wanting the goods I see in commercials because I do not want to be

the only one not wearing FuBu or Nike," said Brian Lewis.

Other young people admitted to dressing like their friends, listening to the same music, and having the same interests as a way of defining cool.

As E. Phillips put it, "To me cool is what's in. Not cool is if you're not like everyone else."

Then again, people who hang out with carbon copies of themselves often risk being stereotyped,and that's definitely not cool.

There's a familiar cast of characters in a typical high school, said Nicole Mulholland: "You have the preppies, goths, ravers, skaters, rockers,...hip-hoppers, coolies, and, of course, the outcasters."

Why such sharply defined categories? Many young people seem to feel it comes from wanting to create an easily definable identity.

According to Camille R., this is because of media influence. "Our identity now seems to be defined by what we wear, what we listen to, and so on. There seems to be so many advertisements that pressure us teenagers into believing that image is everything. We are so pressured that we often confuse image with identity."

Image is our external appearance, she said, and identity is who we really are.

Not everyone falls into a category, though, despite the pressure.

"That's what makes us cool-not following the in-crowd," Laura wrote. "When people look at me, it's exciting in a way. When people dress all the same, it's boring and sort of depressing."

Each cultural group also embraces its own ideals of what is acceptable. According to the teens,

the media have managed to exploit this as well.

Christos wrote: "Sure I'm a black guy with oversized clothing, with a Walkman blarin' Noreaga & Mobb Deep, but how can [the media define me] by these characteristics only? I live in a white suburban neighbourhood and I work in a men's suit store. So what does that make me?"

For some, the word cool is an illusion, used by advertisers to convince teens to buy their products.

"In the corporate sense, cool is really just conformity wrapped in the guise of self-expression," said Adi Persuad. A cool person embodies "individuality, leadership, confidence, rebelliousness, and faith in one's own beliefs," whereas a mass-marketed version of coolness is about conformity-the complete opposite.

Media pressure is not just confined to advertising. TV programs aimed at teens often present an unrealistic image of what their lives should be like. According to theseshows, all cool teens have lots of gorgeous friends, wake up fully made-up or perfectly coiffed, and always have a girlfriend or boyfriend.

Yes, teens can tell reality from TV fantasy, but it's hard to resist the fantasy when all TV teens act and look a certain way. Anastasia Koshkin wrote: "Through these shows, I find out how other people my age should/often live."

And other youth found that the issues that some TV shows raise have helped them deal with problems in their own lives, issues like drugs, pregnancy, and sexual harassment.

Product placement in movies and TV shows is increasingly blurring the distinction between

commerce and entertainment, bringing us back to the days of early TV when actors regularly endorsed products during their shows. Many youth admitted being educed by this process, saying they elt more in touch with the actors if that actor ate a chocolate bar they liked.

Bombarded with media images, it is increasingly difficult for many teens to find out who they really are. The majority of youth revealed in the YPP forum that they are aware of the effect the media have on them, yet they feel powerless to stop it.

Sha-awn Marcano wrote that even though wearing the best brand names may seem shallow, "you just can't change something that the whole media has clearly brainwashed you into thinking is right."

How can teens remove themselves from the trap of a pre-packaged, mass-marketed perception of individuality?

"You just have to grow, mature, and understand WHO YOU ARE before you can break free of the cool pressure," wrote one youth.

"If you are defining yourself by a subculture, by the music you listen to, or by what brand of pants you wear, you haven't discovered who you are yet...so keep searching...and keep the faith. YOU are somewhere in there. Explore."