british youth

1. Selcan Findikoglu
How does the media represent the collective identity of British Youth?
As a teenager, I am socially aware of the unfair representation of the British
Youth in the media industry. The incorrect and stereotypical representation of
the youth in media influences the younger generation to behave in the way the
media portrays us, also encourages adults to treat us differently. The industry is
indoctrinating the adult’s perception of the youth through media’s reinforcement
of the youngers us; “hooligans, razor gangs, teddy boys, hippies, skinheads and
rioters” having, “bad manners, and contempt for authority; showing disrespect
for their elders.” This is supporting Louis Althusser’s ‘interpellation’ theory of
the media having the power to mediate the audience through their dominating
representations of age.
An article written by Hallsworth for the Times in July 2005 has raised a lot of
controversial debates whether the, “Fear drives one teenage boy in ten to carry
knife” was actually influenced by our community or the unfair representation
that the media is setting. Hallsworth claimed that intimidating group of
teenagers or ‘gangs’ as the media likes to refer are making innocent teenagers to
carry a knife as protection. However, the research that was taken by the Youth
Death after the publication of this article proved that 60% of teenagers explained
that they do not carry a knife to protect or to harm anyone. A public debate was
introduced by Rebecca Wood to discuss ‘The reality behind the knife crime’ and
interestingly it presented that 55 peoples death out of 75 was murdered by
adults. After gathering the results, it has been shown that only 25% of teenagers
have been carrying a knife, whereas adults have been proven to commit a knife
crime by 75%. Althusser would argue that this is an interpellation of the media
portraying the youth as being influenced by other teenagers but if this has been
the case of adults, it would not have been discussed as an issue of being
influenced by other adults but simply be described as a freedom of choice.
Most of the time we are known as antisocial teenagers in films and TV shows. For
instance, in Modern Family, Manny Prichett is constantly being represented as an
antisocial teenager who is desperate to be ‘cool’ and more engaging with others.
According to my research, I have found that Roger Mosey encouraged children
and young people to starts a local contribution to social change towards the
representation of the youths in media by being part of local radio stations, TV,
and eventually the national broadcast to disclaim the false portrayal of us
teenagers who are mostly reported as negative by 76% in the media which has
been proven by the UK Youth. The audience of the media is no longer aware of
the youth’s positive contribution to society because they have been informed
that teenagers are antisocial and unproductive. For the record, a sixteen year old
YouTuber called BertieBertG is a great example of a teenager who would be
labeled as antisocial for his name being known virally but would prove the adults
for our productivity through his short films, discussions about political and
social issues and highlighting important issues comedy allows him to set a good
example of the youth by his contribution on a worldwide used social network
that is used by all age ranges.

2. Selcan Findikoglu
The British Youth Council (BYC) and the Youth Net presented that 80% of
teenagers believed that the media is setting an unfair portrayal of youths in
media. The question I would like to remark is, the workers in the media industry,
who are successfully indoctrinating the audience, are always informing us that
the younger generation is our futures hope in media and society. If that is the
case, why are we teenagers being represented as troublemakers, seeking for
dominance and antisocial in media? I as a seventeen-year-old teenager believe
that the media is limiting our opportunities to be part of the media industry,
deconstructing a pleasant impression of the youth and they are starting to send
mixed messages of the youth, which through my perspective seems like the
media is contradicting their own work and argument.