Connecting social problems and popular culture : why media is not the answer / Karen Sternheimer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sternheimer, Karen.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mass media--Moral and ethical aspects--United States.

Mass media.

Popular culture--Moral and ethical aspects--United States.

Popular culture.

Mass media and culture--United States.

Mass media and culture.

Popular culture--Moral and ethical aspects.

Mass media--Moral and ethical aspects.

United States.

Social problems--United States.

Social problems.

Physical Description:

xii, 308 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

Boulder, CO : Westview Press, [2013]

Summary:

Now in its second edition, Connecting Social Problems and Popular Culture goes beyond the news-grabbing headlines claiming that popular culture is public enemy number one to consider what really causes the social problems we are most concerned about. The sobering fact is that a "media made them do it" explanation fails to illuminate the roots of social problems like poverty, violence, and environmental degradation. Sternheimer's analysis deftly illustrates how welfare "reform," a two-tiered health care system, and other difficult systemic issues have far more to do with bur contemporary social problems than Grand Theft Auto or Facebook. The fully revised new edition features recent moral panics-think sexting and cyberbullying-and an entirely new chapter exploring social media. Expanded discussion of how we understand society's problems as social constructions without disregarding empirical evidence, as well as the cultural and structural issues underlying those ills, allows students to stretch their sociological imaginations. Book jacket.

Contents:

Media phobia : why blaming pop culture for social problems is a problem

Is popular culture really ruining childhood?

Does social networking kill? Cyberbullying, homophobia, and suicide

What's dumbing down America : media zombies or educational disparities?

From screen to crime scene : media violence and real violence

Pop culture promiscuity : sexualized images and reality

Changing families : as seen on TV?

Media health hazards? Beauty image, obesity, and eating disorders

Does pop culture promote smoking, toking, and drinking?

Consumption and materialism : a new generation of greed?

Beyond popular culture : why inequality is the problem.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780813347233

0813347238

9780813347240

0813347246

OCLC:

808316471