Adolescent Room
Culture:
Studying Media in the
Context of Everyday Life
J.R. Steele and J.D. Brown, 1995
Movie clips: a tour of my room!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSYPudnCLSk
Mattcube64's bedroom
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P22GMhyU7ug
The Questions
What is the relationship of teens and the
media?
 Why is media so important in the everyday
routines of adolescents
 What do they take from the media

Concerns
The effect of mass media on A’s
 Harmful messages
 Unhealthy behavior (early or
unprotected sex/drug use)

The Research/Fieldwork
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All the research done was qualitative
sex and relationships and how they are
influenced by media (19 white middle class girls)
1987
Recorded tours of A’s room’s (6 teens, multi
race/gender) 1991,1992
Interview each other on room contents and
importance (20 H.S. seniors) 1992
Alcohol in media, A’s kept journal of alcohol use
(5 college students) 1993
Developing a Media Practice Model
Practice perspective
 Lived experience
 Identity formation
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Developing a Media Practice Model
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Practice perspective -
Everyday activities and
media consumption

Lived experience - Development stage,
socio-cultural, relationships (family/friends)

Identity formation – central task of adolescence,
a sense of who they are shapes media use
The Media Practice Model
Media Components
 Selection
- teens make choices
(conscious/unconscious)
Ex. First group of girls interview about sexuality
Their room decoration and media use correlated to
beliefs
The girls were categorized into three
groups
Disinterested – few to none
sexual images in room
Intrigued – many main stream
sexual images in room
Resisters – same media access as
intrigued, but less main stream
images. Also they tend to be more
physically mature and sexually
experienced
Interaction

Identifying with characters and
songs call on media for certain
purposes or goals
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Interpreting and applying
to their lives
see harms/unrealistic standards
still buys into the culture and
consumerism
Application
Why use media?
To enhance mood
 Sort through cultural values/norms
 Make statements about identity
 Emulate admired behavior
 Fantasize about possible selves/situations
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Application cont.
Incorporation
(internal application)

Framing - through what perspective the
adolescent sees the media

Cultivation – active search for media to reinforce
beliefs

Emotional Conditioning –
association/memory
Ex. Girl hears song…
Conclusion
Selection
 Interaction
 Application
 Identity

Strengths and Weaknesses
of the study
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Qualitative research shows details for a small sample,
but these findings do not apply to the general
adolescent population.
The self report data is a great way into the mind of the
subject. On the other hand, the subject may skew their
entries to escape embarrassment or reveal insecurities.
The study does not follow drastic media exposure over
time and show the possible repercussions.
The studies were not recently conducted (’87-’92)
A strength of the study would be that the Media Practice
Model can be applied to all adolescents, as it focuses on
identity formation.
Questions
 Explain how girls may select media content
differently depending on whether they are
“Disinterested,” “Intrigued,” or “Resisters.” Do
you think similar categories exist for boys?
 Think about your current room. Are there any
significant changes of media representation from
your room in H.S.? If yes, why do you think these
adjustments occurred?