Undergraduate - UnitATS3439 - Youth media

This unit analyses what research on young media users reveals about the media's social influence. The unit covers topics such as media violence, the political effects of social media, international reality television, the relationship between mobile phones and gendered identities and advertising practices. It considers a wide array of genres, including music, film, news, reality media, advertising, gaming and comedy. The unit draws on international case studies from Australia, China, Columbia, Finland, the Middle East, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, the UK and the USA. The overall point is that media matter to young people because it is increasingly difficult to live a social life without having access to media resources. For this reason, it is important to appreciate how the experiences of young media users inform new agendas in the fields of critical media studies and media education.