I think i want to explore reality television and explore how certain shows have increased the personas of “mean girls”. I think I am going to focus on how MTV shows (Laguna Beach=> The Hills=> The City) have created different dynamics. I think you can just observe kids interacting and see the effect of media on teens these days. I am not sure 100% how I am going to delve into this research, but what do you guys think of this idea?
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6 Comments
Cool idea, though I am a sucker for anything lowbrow in the pop culture department. There are a ton of books to check out on this subject, but they mostly revolve around teenage girls in a feminist context.
Another idea would be to talk about how girls have been videotaping their attacks on other girls and posting them on YouTube. Kind of a viral video version of mean girl-dom. Here’s a link to an article on that:
http://womensissues.about.com/b/2008/04/08/mean-girls-on-tape-florida-teens-attack-girl-and-create-girl-beating-video.htm
I think it is an interesting idea but I mean there is a lot you can explore. Like Why are these shows so popular?
and How much “reality” are they showing? How do you plan on explaining/making your point?
(Blog about the Bachelor being scripted: http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/ )
As Jessica mentioned, girls are utilizing new media to bully each other in ways that have huge repercussions for both girls and boys these days. I think the concept of cyberbullying would be interesting to look further into. A site that has a lot of info on this is: http://www.cyberbullying.us/index.php
As it pertains to reality shows, check out this article that talks about Olivia Palermo in The City and how people crave villains in TV programs: http://reality_bytes.today.com/2009/02/20/whitney-port-gets-candid-scripting-on-the-city-and-olivia-palermo-the-city-snob/
I think a show that you should not overlook is Gossip Girls. Every monday night, my g/f makes me watch this show with her and frankly it is all about over-privileged girl’s stabbing each other in the back. Maybe you can do a search of school-related or teenager crimes that mimic behavior on these popular tv shows. I think Law and Order SVU may also be relevant to include in your list of shows to research.
That sounds so fun!So do you think you could do your “own reality show”..like about NYU or your life? or are you following anyone? Or are you just talking about other shows?
Not sure I can help you much on this one, as TV is not my forte. I will need to learn more (from you) about it to provide more insightful feedback.
It could have been nice if you chose something a bit less pop-cultury than your previous travelogues, just for the sake of expanding your horizons a bit more, but I am ok with you delving on this.