The Impact of Social Media Tools on Youth;

A Generational Phenomena
Valery Nechay
Chihoro Tajima
Jeffrey Boorijian
Jean Park

The question of how the media influences the culture of youth is a very complex one.

We hope that we can fully develop each of these areas of social networking and media

tools(facebooks, youtube, television, advertisement) through the use of readings on symbolism,

as well as marketing theories, examples, statistics, policies on consumerism and other major

theoretical concepts that will help the flow of our essay. Everything written down below will be

expanded by all of these areas.

There are many new forms of media that allow people to communicate and express

themselves, and the younger generation is at the forefront of this movement. Websites such as

Facebook and Myspace have received much apprehension from older people, who fear it and

perceive it as a threat to the status quo. There are many valid dangers that come from

networking tools, but it is important to consider the many possible benefits offered rather than to

simply dismiss these new technologies as a threat. In our paper we hope to illustrate how social

networking sites, television, and advertising can have significant impacts on youth culture and

the youth’s formation of a collective conscience.

The influences of social networking can be analyzed at many levels. First of all it can be

viewed directly because these websites are public mediums. Although there are privacy settings,
but most college students have created one and have access to other people’s pages. This makes

it possible to gather examples directly from the source. Specifically we will be able to take

direct examples from Facebook and Myspace to consider our point. By accessing these pages

not only do we have access to the creators of this media, but to the audience of it as well because

of people’s ability to comment on the original work within the social networks. Secondly, these

sites are the subject of much controversy so there has been much research done about their

nature. This makes it possible to gain insight from critics, especially from older generations as

they are the ones with most access to researching tools as well as publishers. These critics will

be a good example of the perspective of older audiences to this media. The viewpoint of the

older generation shall be very important too because they also have the ability to create in this

media, and they have a historically comparative viewpoint to offer as they have grown up in a

life without social networks. Lastly, there is the perspective of the creators of these websites.

The creators may be the most important perspective of all, because they control the nature of

their social networking sites. It is up to them to design these sites for their audiences, and

establish exactly what these sites have to offer in terms of social connections. Though not the

creators of the media they are the creators of its framework, and their work determines exactly

how far the impact of social networks can go.

You tube is also a popular networking tool that allows video-sharing, posting and adding

comments, and can be easily used in conjunction with Facebook page to upload easily from one

site to the other. YouTube affects and changes youth culture and the ability to for anyone to gain

exposure on any variety of topics but also impacts the way they socialize and express themselves

to society now.YouTube is established in 2005, in California, San Mateo. ‘’You’’ is referring to

the person who made or is watching the video, and tube means television. So, the YouTube
channel is a place for people to to enjoy making or watching videos and allowing networking

along the interests of their video categories. As you also know from their copy “broadcast

yourself”, it doesn’t need any difficult skill to upload or watch it.

YouTube has expanded all over the world and even entered into the market place as more

than just a social network and media tool. Singers, dancers, can now successfully utilize

YouTube to efficiently promote themselves and seize public attention, where traditionally this

was the task of managers, studios, and music executive companies. As an example of the social

impact of the YouTube, there is the story of Lim Jeong-Hyun, who is from South Korea. Lim

recorded his performances of guitar solos in his bedroom; his videos were uploaded on YouTube

and attracted millions of viewers all around the world. Eventually, CNN, New York Times, and

other press mentioned his name, something unheard of in the music industry even 10 years ago.

There are many other cases in which an unknown person becomes world-re known and gains

favorable exposure in a very short time as a result of their appearance on YouTube. This reality

conveys the message to youth that it is possible for anyone to achieve stardom.

It is no doubt that YouTube is an important tool for youth to socialize or express, but it

includes some danger as well. Anyone can access the videos on this site, which means that a user

with malicious intent can use it to inflict mental abuse on someone whom they potentially have

footage of. There is also a possibility to violate someone via YouTube through ill-willed

comments.

Television is one of the many social media tools that have impacted our youth culture and

ideology of today. In the mid 1900’s, the number of television sets drastically multiplied in

America. In fact, by the year 1955 half the families in the country had a television in their
homes. As the audience of television programs grew, the competition among networks

intensified and each began to identify itself by airing programs that would reflect the network’s

ideology. The three major networks that established mainstream television are the National

Broadcasting Company (NBC), Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) and the American

Broadcasting Company (ABC). In this paper, however, we will be focusing primarily on ABC,

on how it has evolved over time and contributed to the shaping of the youth culture and ideology

today.

ABC, which was bought out by the Walt Disney Company in August of 1995, was

overall a very conservative network that centered on bringing families together. The network is

known for popular shows like Full House (1987- 1995), 7th Heaven (1996- 2006), and Sabrina

the Teenage Witch (1996- 2000). All three shows represent different types of families. 7th

Heaven portrays a nuclear family (a minister father and mother with seven children) in which

audiences of all ages could relate to, as each family member ranging from ages 3 to 42,

overcomes an obstacle of their own and in the end resolves the issue with the support of the

family. Full House on the other hand, is based on the premise of a widower with three children

who learns to cope with this unexpected twist in life with the help of friends and family. Lastly,

Sabrina the Teenage Witch is about an orphaned teenage witch raise by her aunts who are also

witches. Each episode deals with the difficulties of Sabrina’s adolescent years, from a comedic

perspective, and the mishaps she entangles herself in with her magical powers. Although the age

range of the audience varied, teenagers were its biggest audience as Sabrina represented youth in

its current time.

Although the premise of these shows may be different, the common ground that they

share is that they all appealed to and connected to an audience. A theory that describes this idea
is the “cultural theory.” Cultural theory states that people interpret media (whether it’s movies,

books, or television shows) from their own personal perspective depending on their background.

So, for example, the audience of 7th Heaven could closely relate to the fictional family if they too

came from a big family or perhaps a rebellious teenager could relate to one of the daughters who

experiences tough situations within the youth culture. Whatever the case, each audience member

has their own personal connection and interpretation to the story or the characters.

Television has been a key factor to shaping the youth and since teenage years are the

most vulnerable times, it makes them an easy target for the media industry. ABC is just one of

the many networks that attract the youth as it depicts typical teenage situations. However, as the

youth culture evolves, so does the network. ABC is forever changing and evolving with time.

Advertisements play an essential role in building a framework of perception and

association for youth through every public medium available today such as television,

newspapers, magazines, and stores. Youth of ages 13-19, often called “Generation X” by

advertisers, are a unique and a particularly impressionable group because this is an age where

kids are being exposed to new things, deciding who they are, where their place is in society, in a

particularly technology and media based society. At this age, marketers use high intensity point-

of-sale advertising strategies to target these upward mobile youth. Unfortunately, advertising

tactics often have negative impacts on self-image and behavior. A recent study found that

exposure to alcohol advertisements shaped attitudes about alcohol, intentions to drink, and

drinking behavior. This notion of gaining acceptance from peers for drinking from a young age is

reflected heavily in popular sitcoms, reality Television , and most certainly, social networking

sights which publicly display peoples’ attitudes and behaviors.

platform from which various special interest groups and corporations are able to reach these

target audiences and begin brand recognition for their product through subliminal and symbolic

associations from a very early age, as we briefly mentioned above. A survey found that children

of ages 9-11 were more familiar with Budweiser’s frogs, then the Power Rangers or Kellogg’s

Tony the Tiger. Products such as Axe, often perpetuate sexual stereotypes and fuel

misconceptions. Axe commercials are sexually explicit, and always idolize the precarious male

that is consistently awarded and respected for being a notorious womanizer, suggestively

because of good hygiene. Alternatively, Axe purports a negative connotation about sexually

promiscuous women; one printed ad had snapshots of a storyline in which the male was engaged

in to obvious sexual activity with two girls, and in the last snapshot of him by himself at the end

of the evening, ready to take a shower it read, “feels good when you wash away that slut.”

Marketers glamorize their products to build associations with a specific kind of lifestyle, which

ultimately builds brand loyalty upon these concepts. Furthermore, these symbolic associations

begin to become a function of the perception of self and society to youth, where describing

oneself could be virtually impossible without listing that you drink Pepsi, wear Gap, and love

Lady Gaga. However, not all advertisements are negative and they become utilized for many

different reasons. President Barack Obama’s “Hope” campaign was dressed up very sexy, and

appealing to youth with many appearances and celebrity endorsements, which is part of the

reason he was able to win the election.

Today’s society is increasingly mobile, tech savvy, and interdependent on social

networks and public mediums for interaction and information. These various social sites,

advertisements, and shows have a huge impact on youth in their construction of themselves and
the world around them. As exposure to various topics for a young audience grows that were

traditionally not shown, so does the fear and apprehension from many adults. However, despite

the fact that there are always hazards and risks involved in such a mobile and mainstream

society, building awareness and becoming encouraging active consumption can become a central

message to youth that would help navigate their way in this new generational phenomena.