This gripping book considers the history, techniques, and goals of child-targeted consumer campaigns and examines children's changing perceptions of what commodities they ""need"" to be valued and value themselves.
In this critique of America's consumption-based society, author Jennifer Hill chronicles the impact of consumer culture on children—from the evolution of childhood play to a child's self-perception as a consumer to the consequences of this generation's repeated media exposure to violence. Hill proposes that corporations, eager to tap into a multibillion-dollar market, use the power of advertising and the media to mold children's thoughts and behaviors.
The book features vignettes with teenagers explaining, in their own words, how advertising determines their needs, wants, and self-esteem. An in-depth analysis of this research reveals the influence of media on a young person's desire to conform, shows how broadcasted depictions of beauty distort the identities of children and teens, and uncovers corporate agendas for manipulating behavior in the younger generation. The work concludes with the position that corporations are shaping children to be efficient consumers but, in return, are harming their developing young minds and physical well-being.
By:
Jennifer Hill
Imprint: Praeger Publishers Inc
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 235mm,
Width: 156mm,
Spine: 23mm
Weight: 170g
ISBN: 9781440834820
ISBN 10: 1440834822
Series: Childhood in America
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 02 November 2015
Recommended Age: From 7 to 17 years
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Primary
,
Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Series Foreword by Sharna Olfman 1 Culture Jamming and Other Ventures 2 The Children's Culture Industry 3 I Buy, Therefore I Am 4 For and Against the Child as a Consumer 5 Conformity, Creativity, and the Mechanisms of Persuasion 6 Democracy versus Consumer Capitalism 7 Deconstructing Consumerism: From the Voices of Young People 8 Primed to Consume Appendix: Interview Questionnaire Notes Index About the Author About the Series Editor and Advisors
Jennifer Hill, PhD, is a freelance writer, activist, and cofounder of Who Minds the Child?, a media education nonprofit group.
