Teens, TV and Tunes: The Manufacturing of American Adolescent Culture

by Doyle Greene

Overview

This political analysis of teen culture examines the historical and ideological development of American youth society, the economic and ideological relationship between television and popular music, and the ideological rivalry between Nickelodeon and Disney.

More than mere entertainment, teen sitcoms and pop music portray a complex and often contradictory set of cultural discourses. They engage in a process of ideology marketing and "hip versus square" politics. Case studies include Saved by the Bell, Britney Spears, the movie School of Rock, early "pop music sitcoms" like The Monkees and The Partridge Family, and recent staples of teen culture such as iCarly and Hannah Montana.

What is occurring in teen culture has a crucial bearing as today's teens age into adulthood and become the dominant generation in the impending decades.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786466429
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	03/13/2012
Pages:	229
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Independent scholar Doyle Greene is the author of several books and serves on the editorial board of Film Criticism. He lives in Tucson Arizona.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vi

Preface 1

Introduction: Reading Teen Culture 3

Part 1 Don't Trust Anyone Over Thirty

1 Teen Culture Industry (or, You Pays Your Money and You Takes Your Choice) 15

2 On the Importance of Being Hip 23

Part 2 The Society of the Teen Sitcom

3 The Form and Function of the Sitcom 39

4 Free, White, and Teenage Male (or, How to Con Friends and Manipulate People): Saved by the Bell 48

5 Nickelodeon Nation Building: From Clarissa Explains It All to Zoey 101 55

6 The Political Dilemmas of iCarly 72

7 I Have a Dream Job: True Jackson, VP 90

Part 3 Pop Goes Teen Culture

8 The Birth of the Pop Music Sitcom: The Monkees, the Archies, and the Partridge Family 101

9 Teen Pop in Opposition: Britney Spears versus Madonna 119

10 My Generation: School of Rock and the Revival of Rock Ideology 133

11 Keeping It Real and Imaginary: The Ideological Contradictions of Hannah Montana 146

12 The Boy Brands Are Back in Town (or, Triumph of the Hip): Big Time Rush 162

Conclusion: The Youth of Today are the Leaders of Tomorrow 173

Appendix: Cast Listings 177

Chapter Notes 181

Bibliography 209

Index 213