It is very difficult to separate tv from reality, especially in shows like Gossip Girl, because teens can relate so easily to the characters from the show that they think all components of the show express the truth about life. On the contrary, Gossip Girl may explore similar problems that teens face nowadays, except it amplifies them, but seeing characters like Blair and Serena live rich lives where they don't have to do any work and simply get by as a result of their wealth gives teens a false hope. Teens think that they can go to school to show off their popularity, and go out to clubs to drink and engage in explicit behavior.
It has been shown that people, especially teens, that are exposed to sexual behavior on screen are more likely to engage in similar behavior. This proves that shows like Gossip Girl, although very popular and entertaining, are affecting teens in many negative ways. The constant underage drinking, along with sexual behavior among a single group of friends and seemingly work-free life, gives teens a false hope of their future. Teens are inclined to believe what they see on tv, especially in shows like Gossip Girl that have many parallels to real life.
3 comments:
These false hopes are being translated into movies as well- especially from Twilight, a popular fantasy novel now turned into a major motion picture. The amount of "I love Edward" t-shirts and other paraphernalia I have seen in the weeks leading to the release of the movie was ridiculous. I have seen blogs and other online fandoms where girls claim to be in love with Edward, or that they have found their "Edward" in real life. I'm sorry girls, but a vampire that adores a human to the point of not wanting to exist anymore if she dies- that's just not reality. These girls are equating the human qualities Edward has in the story to real guys, evaluating these guys to a standard that cannot be met by a human in the real world.
Brenda
Shows such as Gossip Girl and 90210 (both on the CW network) do portray teen life in a unrealistic light. But we must realize that before Gossip Girl was a hit television series, it was a popular book series. Girls that I went to high school with religiously read these books, and could not stop talking about them. So, not only does television give teens false hope of how carefree their lives can be, but tons of book series, including Twilight, give teen girls a false image of how life should be.
I think false hopes and exaggerations of high school are the only way these shows could be popular. Yes, they will give some stereotypes about the typical ‘cool’ high school kid. But there is no market for a boring story of girls or guys in high school. The only reason that Laguna Beach worked is because of the stunningly beautiful and handsome high school and movie style setting overlooking the pacific. But would this convince me that high school is going to be full of love triangles and range rovers? Providing entertainment that people will watch is the goal of television, we should be able to deal with most of its affects. I think that good parents are able to deal with much bigger problems than this, so these types of unrealistic expectations need to just be relieved early on.
Post a Comment