Like this, like me, like my view.

Media and marketing companies have had their eyes on teens for ages in the hopes of securing some of the most profitable audiences in existence.  With their constantly changing interests, it is incredibly important for media and marketing companies to study the young adult population and make sure they’re always on top of the latest trends.  Teens can fall in love with shows, books, music, and products, but they are a trick audience to secure a hold on.  But for the last thirteen years, the message remains the same: the media needs to market to teens, and they will do whatever they can to stay relevant.  However, they also want to market with teens, whether the teens realize it or not, and certainly do so even without their explicit consent.  In Merchants of Cool (2001), we see teens and their families pay thousands of dollars for the opportunity to network with and perform in front of marketing professionals and media agents, hoping to secure contracts and a head start in the industry.  These teens are voluntarily coming forward to be used to promote and perform whatever the media is pushing. 

The media has always targeted young adults as perhaps their most promising customers, and although this view has remained unchanged since Merchants of Cool, they now hone in on these teens in different ways.  Teens are now much more active participants in marketing campaigns for their favorite movies, books, and products, thanks to the advancement of the Internet and the popularity of social media sites.  The media, much like the teens they so desperately want to connect with, has had to mold and adapt to the new technology available.  If the teens are frequenting social media sites, then you will certainly find media and marketing giants parading the likes of Facebook and Twitter, among others.  Generation Like (2014) emphasizes the necessity to reach out to teens via these online services, yet drives home the point that it is hardly the only goal.  When companies reach out to teens, they are not just trying to sell them something, but are in fact trying to get the teens to sell for them.  Liking, sharing, and otherwise talking about products and pop culture are all benefiting the media and marketing world, and the teens hardly feel exploited or otherwise overworked.  Merchants of Cool shows a side of the media that is desperately curious about teens, and the measures they to find them, while Generation Like reveals that they have finally come willingly.

These documentaries further emphasize teens’ desire to share with the world, whether it is through in-person interaction, or through social media in exchange for likes and Internet popularity.  My interviewees are all over social media, promoting the books and shows they love, much like the featured teens of the documentaries.  Trends in the teen universe are spreading like wildfire, and this is certainly not going unnoticed by the teens themselves.  My interviewees were enthusiastic and even excited about endorsements, and cannot wait to start talking about how the things they love are being received by the rest of the world.  As with the teens of Generation Like, they feel gratified when they can spread their love of books and other media, and whether they realize how much they are being exploited or not, they continue pursuing a life rich in likes and shares, hoping that their voices are heard.