Today’s tweens are receiving a wide variety of messages via the media. Companies like Disney and Nickelodeon have taken over a large segment of the demographic with their TV series and made for TV movies. A large portion of both TV and websites specifically for tweens seem to be sending an overwhelmingly positive message. It’s almost as if they want tweens to believe that life is always going to be full of sunshine and blue skies. I believe that it creates a huge misconception with tweens. It’s almost as if the media wants tweens to live in a bubble where they will be protected from all the dangers and hard things in life. How are tweens suppose to learn and grow if they don’t experience the good with the bad?
I think another thing the media does is send a large sense of empowerment to tweens. They make them believe if they really believe in something and work hard at it then it will happen. I think this is a great message to send young adults, but it isn’t realistic. There are situations where tweens can make a difference through hard work and perseverance, but there are also many cases where the opposite happens. If tweens aren’t aware of the possible negative aspects of life then they will be unprepared for the future and will have unrealistic expectations. Both Disney and Nickelodeon have numerous examples of ordinary tweens that have made it big which may make the majority of tweens feel that this is normal and expected when in fact it is very unlikely to happen.
I think sending both positive and empowering messages to tweens is important and beneficial but I also think it’s important for them to receive more realistic messages as well. This will allow them to move from their bubble of security into experiencing more real life situations.
No comments:
Post a Comment