MTV and Teen Culture

Melissa Gnan
Professor Ford
English 1108
14 November 2003
MTV’s Effect on Teen Culture
MTV celebrated its 20th birthday in 2001. Many in the entertainment industry refer to productions younger than 20 as “ MTV babies,” because MTV had a major impact on the way TV programs are produced. MTV pioneered the fast paced, “in your face” style of programming and advertising. Since its launch many years ago, MTV has been the driving force that represents teen culture. The MTV network consists of music videos, giving idols to the masses, and a variety of reality TV shows, among many similar programs within its reign. Even though it’s allegedly made as a reflection of the real world, these shows are not, and can be harmful to many teens perception of sex, drugs, alcohol, and other aspects making up a big part of teen life. Since what people see on television is to the most part held to be truthful and real compared to reality itself, than MTV’s programming of music videos ...