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Friday, February 28, 2014

Follow up to "The Merchants of Cool"

The Merchants of Cool (one of my favorite episodes of Frontline and the one I have shared most frequently with fellow parents both as a teacher and a dad) was an amazing examination of how corporations target and "consumer-ize" (my word for it) our children.  The author of the Merchants of Cool has a new Frontline segment.  Highly recommended!!!!

The following description if from the PBS website:

In this eye-opening follow-up to FRONTLINE’s classic documentary The Merchants of Cool, author Douglas Rushkoff returns to the world of youth culture.

He explores how the perennial teen quest for identity and connection has migrated to social media — and how big brands are increasingly co-opting young consumers’ digital presences on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

“Today’s teens don’t need to be chased down by corporations,” says Rushkoff, who interviewed everyone from actor and social media superstar Ian Somerhalder to YouTube sensation Tyler Oakley for Generation Like. “They’re putting themselves online for anyone to see. Likes, follows, retweets, and favorites are the social currency of this generation.”
What does it all mean for our kids, our culture, and our future?

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/generation-like/