Connecting social problems and popular culture
Subtitle: why media is not the answer
By: Karen Sternheimer
Edition: 2nd ed.
Publisher: Westview Press
Published: 2013
Place of publication: Boulder, Colo
Language: eng
Number of pages: 308
ISBN-13: 9780813347233; 9780813347240
Subjects: Popular culture; Mass media and culture; Social problems; Mass media
Description: Now in its second edition, this innovative book 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 "(Bmedia 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 "(Breform," a two-tiered health care system, and other difficult systemic issues have far more to do with our 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.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Media phobia : why blaming pop culture for social problems is a problem; title: Is popular culture really ruining childhood?; title: Does social networking kill? Cyberbullying, homophobia, and suicide; title: What's dumbing down America : media zombies or educational disparities?; title: From screen to crime scene : media violence and real violence; title: Pop culture promiscuity : sexualized images and reality; title: Changing families : as seen on TV?; title: Media health hazards? Beauty image, obesity, and eating disorders; title: Does pop culture promote smoking, toking, and drinking?; title: Consumption and materialism : a new generation of greed?; title: Beyond popular culture : why inequality is the problem.