Media Literacy — How Savvy are You?
Fifteen-year-old Deniece and 18-year-old Brian want to know, how savvy are you when it comes to viewing advertisements? Are you easily convinced after viewing an ad to rush out and purchase a product? Do you believe that the media influences your buying habits? Do you believe that advertisers target teenagers? These teens do.
At a youth symposium held in Boston, the teens led a discussion on media literacy with a group of adults who work with youth. The teens chose to speak about body images and the violence that is portrayed in advertisements.
All in attendance agreed that much has been said and written about the effect of the media on the buying habits and the lifestyles of youth. After all, teens spend a lot of money. And the bottom line of most businesses is to make money.
Hundreds of images geared to the teen market can be seen every day on the Internet, on billboards, and on television screens, in newspapers and magazines-you can't get away from them, they're everywhere.
The teens noted that advertisers use too much sex and violence to sell their products. More and more advertisements appear to be promoting an image instead of a product, as has been the case of the tobacco industry. Deniece and Brian demonstrated this point by distributing copies of colorful ads.
After giving the forum attendees a few minutes to study the ads, they asked them the following questions:
- Who made this message and what were the producer's goals or motives?
- What lifestyles, values and points of view are represented in this message?
- How might other people interpret this message differently from you?
- What techniques were used to attract your attention, to affect your emotions?
- What is omitted from this message? Why was it left out?
- In a discussion about one of the ads, members of the group weren't quite sure what was being sold. Several people noticed a recognizable business logo in a far corner of the ad. It was then that the group finally decided that the ad must have been promoting perfume and beauty products, since that was what the logo's name was associated with.
What was shown in the ad, however, was a young woman looking as if she had been beaten. She was wearing a skimpy dress that was dirty and in disarray, her hair was a mess and it appeared that she was being pushed from a car that was airborne. Was this supposed to be sexy?
The teens passed around several more ads. These new ads did not appear to have any violent images, but each of them showed scantily dressed females.
The teens pointed out that the public is becoming desensitized to the images used by advertisers in advertisements. They said that the average person's, "eyes will catch happiness before the violence" when looking at an image.
The teens closed the session by asking the attendees to join in their campaign to encourage less violence and sex in the media.
* Reprinted from Positive Teens Magazine Volume 3 Issue 3, May/June 2001
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