Dissecting The Media: a Study of The Merchants of Cool

Introduction

"The Merchants of Cool," a documentary made by PBS back in 2001, dives into how teen consumer culture and the media industry are all tangled up. Directed by Barak Goodman and produced by Rachel Dretzin, it looks at how big media companies and marketing folks not only serve but also mold what teens want and who they think they should be. This essay's gonna break down the documentary's take on what these 'merchants of cool' do, and what it means for stuff like understanding media and our crazy consumer culture.

Dissecting The Media Machine: an Analysis of "The Merchants of Cool"

The film kicks off by showing us the whole "mook" and "midriff" thing. These are just labels the media uses to grab young guys' and girls' attention. You see these characters everywhere - TV, music videos, ads. The "mook" is this loud, rude dude who's always rebelling, while the "midriff" is all about the girl who's way too focused on her looks. Media keeps pushing these stereotypes, giving a pretty limited (and sometimes harmful) view of teen life. It's wild how much power the media has over how teens see themselves and what's considered normal.

A big part of "The Merchants of Cool" talks about something called the "cool hunt." It's a marketing thing where companies chase after what's trendy with kids so they can sell it right back to them. The film shows how these "cool hunters" sneak into teen circles to find out what's hot - styles, behaviors, you name it. They package all that info up and market it back to teens, which just keeps feeding this loop of buying more stuff. There's something kinda sketchy about exploiting youth culture like that for cash. Plus, is this "cool" stuff even real? With everything being watched and turned into a product, we end up with a culture where everyone's kinda the same because we're all chasing market-driven trends.

The doc also points fingers at big media companies for their hold on youth culture. They produce and control content so they basically decide what's cool or desirable. That control kills diversity and creativity because only money-making trends get pushed forward. There're examples in the film – like bands Limp Bizkit or pop star Britney Spears – that show how corporate interests shape what we think is cultural gold. With such power concentrated in their hands, it's no wonder that young people have such a narrow view of what’s possible or acceptable.

"The Merchants of Cool" also shows how creators and consumers are getting blurred lines between them. Teens aren't just watching; they're trendsetters whose preferences get scooped up for profit but then sold back to them through ads and products shaping their tastes all over again. It's a never-ending cycle where chasing 'cool' becomes this commercialized mission that's hard to escape from! The doc really nudges us toward questioning if what we consume is even authentic while recognizing those hidden commercial gears spinning behind content creation.

Conclusion

"The Merchants of Cool" gives us this thought-provoking look at how deep media’s influence goes when it comes to youth culture today (and yesterday). By breaking down strategies used by bigwigs to mess with teen desires or identities, it calls for some serious reflection on what kind'a content we buy into without second-guessing its intent or origin! It opens up tough conversations around ethics concerning marketing towards vulnerable groups—our kids—and raises concerns about living within an overly consumer-driven world as years roll by! As tech evolves rapidly day-by-day—the lessons from “The Merchant’s Of Cool” feel more relevant than ever reminding both audiences along creators alike be wary bout underlying power dynamics swirling round defining “coolness.”

References

• Goodman, B., & Dretzin, R. (Producers). (2001). The merchants of cool. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
• Klein, N. (2000). No logo: Taking aim at the brand bullies. Picador.
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• Taylor, A., & Francis Group (2016). Cultural studies: An anthology. Routledge.
• Pipher M.B., (1994). Reviving Ophelia: Saving the selves of adolescent girls . Putnam Publishing Group.