Teen Culture
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Cold Play Hannah Montana hannah montana miley cyrus best of both worlds High School the Musical Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Iron Man Jonas jonas brothers Mamma Mia! Miley Miley Cyrus miley cyrus best of both worlds tour teen phenomenon The Dark KnightI turn on my television and I’m immediately told the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus and High School the Musical reign supreme over the kingdom called pop culture.
Yet, I can’t identify one of their songs nor have I ever seen their respective television vehicles nor do I know anyone who has.
I feel like I should since the news media continually exalt these too-young-to-drink celebrities.
Why is that?
Is it because “teen” culture dominates the mainstream media landscape? Is it because the teen scene is so overwhelmingly successful that it deserves as much of the media’s attention as it can spare?
The answer to both questions is no.
To explain further, let us examine the teen phenomenon known as High School Musical 3: Senior Year. The attention the news media gave that film you would have thought it cured cancer, impotency and sour milk.
Yes, the film did open at number one, breaking the record for the biggest opening ever for a movie musical, but that’s not exactly Hollywood’s most coveted box office record.
While impressive, the musical Mamma Mia! (whose box office record HSM3 broke) did much better in 2008 than the pretty teens singing and dancing their way to and from gym class.
Sure, HSM3 is successful, but it’s nowhere near the level of success as The Dark Knight (2nd highest grossing film of all-time), or Iron Man or Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Last year at this time, you would have thought Miley Cyrus’ concert tour was bigger than U2 opening for the Rolling Stones at Madonna’s house. Cyrus’ tour was popular but it didn’t even finish in the top ten grossing concerts for that year.
The Police had top grossing concert tour of 2007. Sting and company were followed by Kenny Chesney, Justin Timberlake, Celine Dion and Van Halen. The Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus “Best of Both Worlds” tour finished 16th.
You probably assumed, given how Fox drooled all over the Jonas Brothers leading up to their halftime performance at the Dallas Cowboy game on Thanksgiving Day, the crooning siblings had the bestselling album of the year.
Again, not true.
The bestselling album of 2008 belongs to Cold Play. Their seminal album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, is also the most downloaded (and paid for) album of all-time.
Why then does entertainment for teens appear to be more popular than entertainment for normal people?
The reason is news directors, producers, anchors and reporters. They all have teens at home cajoling them to see Miley Cyrus in concert, begging them for HSM3 movie tickets and pestering them to download the Jonas Brothers.
Here’s how it works: the teen comes home and whines to their parent about wanting to see Hannah Montana or Jonas Brothers. This causes the self absorbed news professional to assume these artists are actually popular. After all, if it’s happening to them, it must be happening to everyone. Therefore the adolescent heartthrobs appear up on the six o’clock news.
While these teeny performers are popular, they aren’t that popular. Unfortunately for us, they forced down our throats because they are popular in the households of media professionals who are so vapid, their only sense of identity is the predilections of their offspring.
After all, if Viva la Vida was so widely downloaded why wasn’t Chris Martin on my news as much as Zac Efron? Answer: daughters of news directors don’t ask for Cold Play tickets.
4:42 pm
While some of your article is right on the mark, I believe it overstates the actual reasons these teen bands and celebrities are so popular.
Teens have been driving popular music for a very long time, and that became apparant with the bobby socks-ers. Was it because TV news anchors had kids back then and reported on what their kid liked because of their assumption that it must be popular everywhere? I find that doubtful.
What I do think is that teens have been seen as dollar signs since that time because nearly all of their income is disposable. Not only do they spend nearly every dollar they can get their hands on, they flood the internet and radio stations with their new obsessions, causing a reaction simply because of the volume of response and chatter they create.
When I hear a new song on the radio I like, I wait until their name is mentioned by the DJ, or I’ll check the station playlist to find out what I heard. I may or may not go buy the song online or even the CD. I don’t blog about it, I don’t put the song on a myspace page, I don’t start a fan club and I don’t join a fan club because of this.
Teens will do all of this, and the media give them attention because no one else is doing this for their new favorite band to the degree that the teens are.
It’s still a matter of the squeaky wheel getting the grease, just for more reasons than were stated.
[Reply]
6:42 pm
First off, I, as a teen, loathe the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, and the High School Musical movies. However, I shamefully admit that my friends do enjoy this aspect of our culture.
I would like to bring something else to the table. Voter turnout amongst those young (despite the 2008 Election turnout with the theme of “change”) has always been low, so the mass media haven’t targeted them. In history, those fifty and older have always been targeted no matter the economic crisis, or state of wartime or peacetime. Social Security, Medicare, and all things medication and retirement have been played as far as policies go. Healthcare is major. Homeowners are major. Social Security is major. But teenagers? Apparently not major. Voter turnout amongst teens is low and the policies that affect us now and not our futures are slim, or so we’re told.
So then, the media has to target us in some way right? The fact that we’re targeted through three boys who can make themselves cry to their pop tunes is sad, but obviously effective.
We know that the media is a sad machine of information–yet it’s information America has become dependent on. We as Americans rely on political ads for information (the majority of which being attack ads) while news media will relay a political story that’s 90 seconds in length–if lucky. Top stories involve bloodshed, teen pop “phenoms”, and who was attacked by a vicious canine. It’s pitiful really, but my point is this: It’s not solely teen culture that feeds this mechanism of media. Sure, parents can be influenced by their teens to think that so and so is popular, but…the news craves this sort of thing. I’m not sure if blame was placed in your thoughts, but I look to the media. After all, what would we rather see? Footage of war and destruction or footage of happy-go-lucky teenage boys who somehow, in some way, make people feel secure about their nation?
Plus, from what I hear, everyone’s teen culture has some sort of phenom that the media overplays and therefore overshadows those who really deserve to receive the credit. Not that Bon Jovi and the Jonas Brothers are comparable, mind you.
Also, I label this your best piece considering one, Kenny Chesney was mentioned in a positive way. And I would love some Coldplay tickets. I’m just sayin’. I would also like to note that Miley Cyrus writing an autobiography (in case you didn’t know) is ridiculous. She hasn’t even lived yet! I think I should get bumped up to the adult culture if this is what us teens are being stereotyped as. I want out of this teen, Jonas-obsessed, Zac Efron-loving culture. ASAP. Thanks.
[Reply]
10:18 pm
I’m off to itunes to purchase some music…just as soon as the 11:00 news is over.
[Reply]
12:00 pm
The real reason they hype up these crap teen groups is that when they get older they will turn into some drug-abusing, sex-addicted wreck. This is just future investment and the media will get better ratings once this meltdown does happen. Case and point, Brittany and Lindsay Lohan.
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