“Would I still be somebody if no one was watching?” That was the question fourteen-year-old Madison asked Jen, her best friend, on her way to the mall. What prompted Madison’s question was a video she produced over the summer — choosing the background and location, planning her clothes and hair, and even writing the dialogue in advance — and uploaded to YouTube on the first day of high school. She had hoped the video would go viral and make her famous, but – to her dismay – only 54 people saw it. Since she had 350 friends on Facebook and 400 contacts on her phone, she was feeling anxious. Why didn’t people watch? Jane’s mother listened and then asked: “Madison, why do you want to become famous?” “So I can get rich and everyone will know me,” Madison replied.
Dreams of fame aren’t limited to younger millennials, of course; Young moviegoers in the 1930s dreamed of being Shirley Temple, while in the 1950s, the first generation exposed to television watched The Mickey Mouse Club, wearing mousey hats, and wanted to be Annette or Darlene, or Bobby or Coby. But today, the cult of celebrity permeates every field and medium, and on top of that, tweens and teens have the technological means to try to make themselves famous outside of their immediate circle of friends through YouTube – “Publish Yourself!” – And other social networking sites that other generations did not.
Dr. Patricia Greenfield said there is a cultural shift, one that she and Wilda Ols have explored in several studies. One study examined the cultural context of fame, by looking at television programs from 1967 to 2007, and examining the values that these programs promoted through example and message to young viewers, aged 10 to 12 years. In 1977, shows like “Laverne and Shirley” and “Happy Days” fostered a sense of community first (popularity was the 13th value); In contrast, by 2007, “Hannah Montana” and “American Idol” cemented fame first and foremost. In fact, by 2007, the value of belonging or community had fallen to thirteenth place, meaning that values had literally switched places over the course of thirty years. Another study showed how technology and celebrity-driven culture collude to convince teens that achieving fame — along with personal fulfillment and financial success — is their primary life goal. Oles and Dr. Greenfield posit that this cultural shift is due in part to the powerful influence of television on both aspirations and behaviors — along with fame-focused shows like “Hannah Montana” and “American Idol.” Of course, they also note that achieving “fame” seems possible through both YouTube and social media. (Though a disclaimer: Their sample was small and conducted in Los Angeles—the home of Hollywood—so “we cannot conclude,” they put it, “that our findings are representative of American youth.”)
But anecdotally at least, it seems clear that the proliferation of reality shows — where fame is not a function of talent or ability but merely appearing on television — is confirming the idea that anyone can become famous, and many, if not all, tweens and teens seem to They take that seriously. Not all of them post on YouTube, although many do watch it. According to YouTube demographics, 55% of teens watch the content, or about 21.6 million people. Plus, many are working hard on Facebook and elsewhere to become stars — wannabe Kardashians — in dramas of their own making.
The bigger question, which I raised before, is what happens to the formation of the self when it is so closely tied to audience and attention? Here again, not all of this is entirely new; Teenagers have always needed an audience and its feedback—traditionally consisting of parents, teachers, mentors, and other adults; Siblings and cousins. And of course, most importantly, friends – to come up with answers to the question “Who am I now and who will I become?” The boundaries of the emerging self have always been dynamically constrained. But the ambition to become famous was only part of it if you had a specific, precocious talent and, in the past, you already knew the people who helped you define yourself. This is still true for some children who limit their contacts to children they know but not all.
Take, for example, the widely publicized “Am I Ugly” wave? Videos posted on YouTube by tweens and teens (and, as it turns out, a 21-year-old artist who was trying to make a point about being a teenage girl in the digital age). The key to YouTube is how you validate your audience’s presence or absence — you can see the number of views and read comments left by viewers. That’s why “Am I ugly?” The videos caused a storm; Both laypeople and experts worry about why young girls (and some boys) put themselves out there and leave themselves vulnerable to cruelty.
For some, the answer seems to be fame. Take, for example, the most viewed question “Am I beautiful or ugly?” The video was uploaded in December 2010 by sga1901, a 15-year-old named Kendall who, according to her profile at least, plays softball and likes to sing and draw. Her video — which begins with her wearing a hat with a koala’s face and ears — has received an amazing 5,277,886 views as of this writing and nearly 129,000 comments! Comments range from supportive to disgusting and downright reprehensible. As I watch the video — through the eyes of a parent and as a co-author of a book about teenage girls who has interviewed many — I’m struck by Kendall’s composure. She doesn’t seem too concerned with whether the photo makes her look good or not, and honestly, she seems to know the answer to whether she’s ugly or pretty at first. She knows how to act cute and “feminine”, forming her fingers into a heart shape and blowing kisses. So what is this? Well, there’s a hint on her profile where she lists her profession as “being cool” and where she posts “If you subscribe to my channel, I’ll subscribe to yours” interspersed with a smiley face. (So far, she has 4,868 subscribers.) Plus “Am I pretty or ugly?” She has thirteen other videos on YouTube which include one singing video (65,571 views and 1,1129 comments), two featuring a “dare” contest that doesn’t seem to get much attention, and one of a pillow fight with her brother. I wonder if her parents are aware of these videos because she mentioned that she uses her mother’s camera.
It’s not hard to understand how tempting it is for tweens and teens — witness the success of Justin Bieber and supermodel Kate Upton, among others — to think, “This could be me” and how that thought alone may be enough to overpower any sense of caution. Or worry about risks. But the risks are very real, leaving a child vulnerable to cruelty and bullying, at a time in life when egos can be fragile and self-esteem a precious commodity. “Am I beautiful or ugly?” The videos also underscore the culture’s obsession with physical beauty as the only way to define oneself. Does all this behavior in public, this need for attention, indicate something else? In the discussion portion of their study, Dr. Greenfield and Wilda Ohls write that “fame is an aspiration that narcissists fantasize about achieving; Our results suggest that the documented historical increase in narcissistic personality in emerging adults begins in the preadolescent years with a desire for fame. There is a potential synergy between monitoring fame-oriented content in television shows and activating the value of fame through participation in online video dissemination.
Related : Narcissism and the Myths That Just Won’t Die
So, are we raising a nation of narcissists? This question seems particularly relevant given the statistics released from the Common Sense Media Survey last fall that looked at children’s media use from birth to age eight. 10% of children under 1 year of age have used a smartphone, iPod, iPad, or other device. Wave. 39% of children aged 2 to 4 years, and 52% of children aged 5 to 8 years. Despite the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation to go “no screens” under age 2, 47% of children ages 0 to 1 watch TV or videos for about two hours a day. In contrast, they read for an average of 23 minutes. 66% of children under the age of two watched television, and television generally remains the most watched medium. Is it inevitable that “fame” will continue to be so important to even the youngest children, especially if their parents are posting photos and videos themselves? Why don’t parents pay attention to the power of the screen? Can technology really turn a child into a narcissist?
Not surprisingly, the answer is more nuanced than a simple “yes” or “no.” I turn to Dr. Caryl McBride, narcissism expert and blogger at this site, for her opinion. “I think we live in a very narcissistic culture today, with an ‘it’s all about me’ mentality,” she told me. “New technology, the focus on celebrities, and the constant interest in ‘how we look’ and ‘what we do’ are powerful messages. But narcissism has been around forever.” Although the common understanding of narcissism revolves around arrogance and selfish behavior, this is only part of it.
On a deeper level, Dr. McBride explains, “Narcissism is the inability to get along emotionally with others. It is this lack of empathy that causes great damage in relationships. Can technology such as texting, email, Facebook, etc. fuel a lack of emotional connection? I think so. But if children are treated with empathy and taught to respond empathically and care for others, it does not have to be an either/or situation. “We just have to be more emotionally intelligent than the technology we have.”
The technological revolution has happened very quickly and continues to develop at an extraordinary pace, more like a cultural tsunami than anything else. We’ve all been drawn into this, with little or no time to think. We must pay attention to the messages sent by all the media our children are exposed to and their impact on their behavior.
