Topic > How social media influences young people in the film Generation Like

In Generation Like (2014), the filmmakers took a look at the growing popularity of various forms of social media and how they influence today's younger generations . Douglas Rushkoff has interviewed many people with the aim of showing how they have been influenced by social media, popular online personalities and brands. Frontline used the tool of talking heads to take an illustrative look at the theme that companies and brands can use underhanded marketing to have a broad and widespread impact on the world's youth, without the young people themselves knowing. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The film featured in-depth interviews, including one with popular YouTube personality and “vlogger,” Tyler Oakley. Rushkoff asked Oakley questions about how he got so many subscribers, and Oakley responded, "It happened suddenly and without intention. A lot of what I did was talk about what I love, and people gravitated toward it, and this opened up a lot of opportunities.Rushkoff made sure the viewer interpreted “opened up a lot of opportunities” as opportunities for Oakley to unknowingly market different brands.We saw this at the MTV Music Awards, at a One Direction concert, and at one Pepsi commercial. Frontline used the talking heads interview to show that Oakley thought he was having fun, but was actually marketing those companies Ceili Lynch, a young fan of The Hunger Games (2012), was intentionally shown to the public as a teenager, involved in the. unintentional marketing of the film. Rushkoff asks her questions about how much she likes The Hunger Games, to leave no doubt in the viewer's mind about her obsession and to demonstrate that he believes she is just having fun and enjoying her favorite film series. He doesn't ask her anything like, "Do you think you're part of the marketing for The Hunger Games?" Instead, he tells the audience, "Ceili sitting in her bedroom 'liking' The Hunger Games isn't just an advertisement, she's part of the marketing campaign herself." The way Rushkoff presents Lynch and Oakley in the interview is designed to “expose” the fact that “Generation Like” members have no idea that corporations are exploiting their passion for money. He doesn't ask them questions that would get answers that are destructive to his essay, but he asks questions that get the evidence he needs. It displays videos and images of Oakley and Lynch's actions in a way that leads the audience to believe they don't realize they are part of the marketing teams for Pepsi or The Hunger Games. The “talking heads” interview style he uses is extremely effective in “exposing” the practices of today's marketers. Liam Horne is portrayed as a knowing but naive participant in the process. Horne is shown talking about how he has been sponsored in some videos by Adidas and Ford, but the focus is on how the companies are helping Horne, not the other way around. Horne is happy to have help with his videos, but doesn't acknowledge (and Rushkoff doesn't ask about) the fact that he's heavily promoting some brands he may or may not agree with. Rushkoff is still heavily pushing his agenda through the use of the talking heads technique, even when it seems like the person might not fit the theme perfectly. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In this documentary, Oakley, Lynch, and Horne were shown willingly participating in social media and other technologies. They seem to be having fun.