Youth Communication Midterm Flashcards

Culture

set of discourses, stories, images, and practices that shape meanings, identities, and political effects

Public Discourse

How society collectively “talks” or “thinks” about topics, groups, or events

Dominant Ideology

Ideology that benefits some while subjugating others. Makes inequalities (capitalism, ableism, ageism, etc.) appear “natural and just”

Cultural Studies

Examines how ideologies are embedded in cultural representations. Analyzes how pop culture transmits dominant values, investigates challenges to dominant ideologies, (OK boomer), provides tools for critical cultural interpretation.

Intersectionality

A framework for understanding overlapping social identities and power structures. Prevents essentialism, assuming all members of a group share identical traits.

Neoliberalism

Emphasizes individual responsibility over social change, linked to deregulation, privatization, and reduced government support.

Media Studies

A branch of cultural studies that focuses on media and mediated texts.

Texts

Cultural artifacts that convey meaning.

Political Economy

Who controls media production. Examines ownership of media and its impact on content.

Media Monopolies

(Disney, Google, Meta, etc.) Shape what audiences consume. Limits competing ideologies from gaining visibility.

Textual Analysis

Studies media texts to uncover meaning, ideology, and cultural messages.

Audience Reception

Investigates how audiences interpret and engage with media.

Cultural Construct

Recognizes that childhood, gender, and generation have both material and symbolic/semiotic components. Social meanings attached to biological aspects vary across cultures.

Childhood as a Social Construction

Not just a child, but an image of a child, shaped by ideologies of the time.

The Imagined Child

An idea of a child rather than a universal reality.

Childhood Constructed through discourse

Media, policies, and societal norms define childhood.

Discursive Construction of Childhood

Shaped by historical, economic, political, and technological changes. Childhood is not static, it is influenced by capitalism and consumer culture. Children as markets, media, products, and technology target them as consumers.

Industrial Revolution (1900-1930)

Shift in childhood perception: From “mini-adults” to “innocents needing protection”. Rise of child welfare concerns, public education and scientific studies of childhood. Child labor laws and child protection legislation, role of child care experts grew in importance.

Intersectionality and Childhood

Childhood experiences differ based on class, race, gender, sexuality, region, etc. Not all children share the same experiences. Who is seen as a child, and who is not?

Adultification

Society perceives some children as older than they really are. Particularly affects Black children leading to fewer legal and social protections. Results in denial. of innocence and childhood protections. Adults tend to view children through a protectionist lens.

Children as Social Actors

Children actively construct their own experiences and identities.

Key “Players” in Regulation for Children’s Media

Government Agencies, Industry Self-Regulation, Hybrid Regulation

Government Regulation

FCC, FTC, Congress

Industry Self-Regulation

MPAA ratings, Comics Code, ESRB

Hybrid Approaches to Regulation

V-Chip, Industry created ratings systems. Collaboration between Gov’t and Private sector.

Pros of Industry Self-Regulation

More flexible, cost-efficient, avoids gov’t intervention

Cons of Industry Self-Regulation

Voluntary, difficult to enforce, often driven by corporate interests

Youth at Risk

Children seen as innocent and vulnerable to external threats such as the media, internet, and violence.

Youth as Risks

Children seen as dangerous or disruptive via delinquency, subcultures, and violent tendencies.

Moral Panic

Widespread societal fear that is disproportionate to the actual threat.

Moral Panic Disproportionality

Moral Panic reaction exceeds the real danger.

Moral Panic Displacement

The Moral Panic fear often targets symbols or groups rather than addressing root causes.

How does Moral Panic differ from Regular Panic?

Panic is a highly emotional overreaction while moral panic includes an element. of righteousness, often moral outrage, and a push for societal change

Moral Crusader

Raises public awareness about a perceived social threat (politicians, activists)

Moral Entrepreneur

Raises public awareness about a perceived social threat but with personal or financial motives (media personalities, lobbyists)

Folk Devils

Scapegoats: people. or groups demonized as threats to society (goths after Columbine)

Constructionist Approach to Moral Panic

Folk devils are created through media and political narratives. Explains who drives the panic and why. Moral Panics are cyclical, repeating with new “threats” (rock music → video games → social media)

Characteristics of Moral Panic

Fear of losing control over youth, oversimplification of a complex issue into a single cause (video games cause violence) blaming popular culture (song lyrics, games, movies), lack of evidence to support claims, exaggerated media coverage fueling panic.

Columbine Case Study

Media blamed video-games, movies, and music for the Columbine shooters actions.

Subcultures

Typically become targets of moral panic, are diffuse networks (not formal orgs), have a shared identity and meaning, have resistance to mainstream norms and can include distinct music, slang, fashion, history, and support systems.

Why does Society Focus on Youth and Simple Problems?

It’s easier to blame the youth than address systemic issues like declining education funding, lack of safe spaces for youth, and child poverty and economic inequality.

Evolution of Moral Panics

Past: fear of what media was doing to youth

Present: Fear of what youth are doing with technology

Future: Fear of new technologies harming youth

Evolution of Children’s Media

Started as educational programs and entertainment, further evolved into seeing children as consumers and media being a glorified advertisement to children.

Textual Analysis

Examines how texts shape social realities, focuses on creator decisions such as news stories (who is interviewed, what quotes/images are used) and fictional media (whose perspective is centered, what lang/visuals reinforce power dynamics). How audiences interpret cultural messages.

Media texts are Polysemic

Media texts have multiple meanings depending on the audience. Audiences negotiate meaning based on their own experiences and perspectives.

Hegemony

Dominance of one group over others through cultural and ideological means. Institutions reinforce the dominant ideology (definition of beauty, being a “real man”)

Counter Hegemony

Challenges dominant ideologies through resistance (March for our Lives, activism)

Material Semiotic

Youth as a Cultural Psychological and Judgmental Dope

Dope

A theoretical construct, stereotype, or cliche used to describe youth.

Othered

Youth seen as different from mainstream societal norms.

Leaky Typology

Youth identity is fluid and not confined to rigid categories. Their typologies often overlap or leak into other representations.

Typology of Youth

Youth are constructed through paired discourses that shape how society perceives them.

Youth as Political Figures

Youth involved in political movements, activism, or social change

Youth as Figures of Capitalism

Youth as either victims or agents in capitalist systems.

Youth as Personalized Temporal Figures of Affect

Youth seen as symbols of the future or nostalgic figures from the past.

Youth as Risk Figures

Youth categorized as risk-takers or those in need of protection.