The millennials, who constitute the largest generation in America's history, may resist a simple definition; nevertheless, they do share a number of common traits and also an ever increasing presence on film and television. This collection of new essays first situates the millennials within their historical context and then proceeds to an examination of specific characteristics--as addressed in the television and film narratives created about them, including their relationship to work, technology, family, religion, romance and history. Drawing on a multiplicity of theoretical frameworks, the essays show how these cultural products work at a number of levels, and through a variety of means, to shape our understanding of the millennials.
"Inconceivable!"; "Long hair don't care"; "You shall not pass!"; "I'll be back." The way we read these lines - whether or not you picture Gandalf standing at the edge of a cliff and hear the deep monotone of the Terminator - makes it clear that media consumption affects our everyday lives,language, and how we identify as part of a group.Millennials Talking Media examines how U.S. millennial friends embed both old media (books, songs, movies, and TV shows) and new media (YouTube videos, videogames, and internet memes) in their everyday talk for particular interactional purposes. Sylvia Sierra presents multiple case studies featuringthe recorded talk of millennial friends to demonstrate how and why these speakers make media references and use them to handle awkward moments and other interactional dilemmas. Sierra's analysis shows how such references contribute to epistemic management and frame shifts in conversation, whichultimately work together to construct a shared sense of millennial identity. Additionally, this book explores the stereotypes embedded in the media that these friends cite and examines their effects in everyday social life.This book shows how the boundaries between screens, online and offline life, language, and identity are porous for millennials. Building on everyday conversation among family and friends and contemporary work in media studies, Sierra weaves together the most current linguistic theories regardingknowledge, framing, and identity to create a book that will be of interest to scholars and students of sociolinguistics, communication, rhetoric, conversation analysis, and media studies - and to boomers, millennials, and Gen Z alike.
No longer a niche or cult identity, fandom now colors our notions of an expansive generational construct—the millennial generation. Like fans, millennials are frequently cast as active participants in media culture, spectators who expect opportunities to intervene, control, and create. At the same time, long-standing fears about fans’ cultural unruliness manifest in rampant stories of millennials’ technological over-dependence and lack of moral boundaries. These conflicting narratives of entrepreneurial creativity and digital immorality operate to quell the growing threat represented by millennials’ media agency. With fan activities becoming ever more visible on social media platforms including YouTube, Facebook, LiveJournal, Twitter, Polyvore, and Tumblr, the fan has become the avatar of our digital hopes and fears. In an ambitious study encompassing a wide range of media texts, including popular television series like Kyle XY, Glee, Gossip Girl, Veronica Mars, and Pretty Little Liars and online works like The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, as well as fan texts from blog posts and tweets to remix videos, YouTube posts, and image-sharing streams, author Louisa Ellen Stein traces the circulation of the contradictory tropes of millennial hope and millennial noir. Looking at what millennials do with digital technology demonstrates the molding impact of commercial representations, and at the same time reveals how millennials are undermining, negotiating, and changing those narratives. This generation—and the fans it represents—is actively transforming the media landscape into a dynamic, culturally transgressive space of collective authorship. Offering a rich and complex vision of the relationship between fandom and millennial culture, Millennial Fandom will interest fans, millennials, students, and scholars of contemporary media culture alike.
Millennials and Gen Z in Popular Culture examines media and popular culture forms for and about millennials and Generation Z. In this collection, contributors articulate the need for studying cultural artifacts connected to members of these generations. Rather than focusing on each generation specifically, this collection takes an intergenerational approach, placing them in dialogue with one another by focusing on media and experiences that are geared toward both. Scholars of media studies, popular culture, and sociology will find this book of particular interest.
"Friends don't let friends skip leg day." "You shall not pass!" "I'll be back." The way we read these lines-whether or not you picture Gandalf, hear the deep monotone of the Terminator, or smilemakes it clear that media consumption affects our everyday lives, language, and how we identify as part of a group. Millennials Talking Media examines how U.S. Millennial friends embed both old media (books, songs, movies, and TV shows) and new media (YouTube videos, videogames, and internet memes) in their everyday talk for particular interactional purposes. Sylvia Sierra presents case studies featuring the recorded talk of Millennial friends to demonstrate how and why these speakers make media references and use them to handle awkward moments and other interactional dilemmas. Sierra's analysis shows how such references contribute to epistemic management and frame shifts in conversation, which ultimately work together to construct a shared sense of Millennial identity. Building on contemporary work in media studies, Sierra weaves together the most current linguistic theories regarding knowledge, framing, and identity to create a book that will be of interest to Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials, and Gen Z alike.
Launched in 1977 by the Christian Broadcasting Service (originally associated with Pat Robertson), the ABC Family/Freeform network has gone through a number of changes in name and ownership. Over the past decade, the network--now owned by Disney--has redefined "family programming" for its targeted 14- to 34-year-old demographic, addressing topics like lesbian and gay parenting, postfeminism and changing perceptions of women, the issue of race in the U.S., and the status of disability in American culture. This collection of new essays examines the network from a variety of perspectives, with a focus on inclusive programming that has created a space for underrepresented communities like transgender youth, overweight teens, and the deaf.
Music has played a critical component in the success of films. This volume compiles over 100 years of writings devoted to the subject of film and television music and its practitioners.
