Growing up too soon

Deconstructing Spongebob, Pt2: A Preschool Parenting Lens

September 20, 2011 by Amy Jussel 1 Comment

Sept. 20, 2011 In part one, the prelude to this post, I tried to frame the notion of critical thinking skills as a sphere to hold up to the light and rotate slowly instead of banging out opinions in point-counterpoint opposite spectrum and debate polarity. Partly that's because the two focal points I was covering (CCFC's rub with Spongebob Spongebob preschool merchandising … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Interactive Games, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Product Placement, Shaping Youth Tagged With: AAP, ad-creep, brains and TV, branding-youth, cartoon characters, cartoon-products, cartoons influence, CCFC, child development, childrens cognitive inability to understand, cognitive science, commercial brands, consumption, Critical-thinking-skills, David Kleeman, executive function, fast-paced TV, Karen Dahl, Kids TV, licensed cartoon characters, media watchdogs, media-literacy, merchandising, neuro cognition, Nickelodeon, pediatrics, pester power, Preschool brain science, Preschool marketing, Preschool programming, PTC, self-regulation, Spongebob Research, Spongebob Squarepants, University of Virginia, working memory

Deconstructing Spongebob: Reasoning, Research, & Critical Thinking

September 19, 2011 by Amy Jussel 6 Comments

Sept. 19, 2011 “So, Amy, whose side are you on with the pundits talking and the press reporting about the new University of Virginia Spongebob research?” Whaaaa? Sides? Really? That's cartoonish, like this editorial/visual statement at Beartoons.com at left... Last I checked, the ability to use critical thinking skills was rarely a "one-sided" stance. I tend to take a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Interactive Games, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Product Placement, Shaping Youth Tagged With: AAP, ad-creep, AngrySlop, brains and TV, branding-youth, cartoon characters, Cartoon Monickers, cartoon-products, cartoons influence, CCFC, child development, childrens cognitive inability to understand, commercial brands, consumption, Critical-thinking-skills, David Kleeman, editorial cartoons, executive function, fast-paced TV, Kids TV, licensed cartoon characters, media watchdogs, media-literacy, merchandising, mugging of Spongebob, neuro cognition, Nickelodeon, pediatrics, pester power, Preschool marketing, Preschool programming, PTC, self-regulation, Spongebob Research, Spongebob Squarebutts, Spongebob Squarepants, University of Virginia, working memory

Dear Media: Please Change Your Channel of Influence

September 12, 2011 by Amy Jussel 27 Comments

Sept 12, 2011 After the ludicrous JCPenney toxic tee-shirt with a wink and nod to academic underachievement "I'm Too Pretty For Math, So My Brother Has To Do It For Me" and the fabulous rapid-reply from Pigtail Pals, Redefining Girly producing a proud and positive tee in response, "Pretty's Got Nothing to Do With It" it makes me wonder why media continues to cover the problems … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Counter-marketing, Growing up too soon, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Sexualization & Body Image, Shaping Youth, Stereotypes & Diversity Tagged With: acid on innocence, Actionists, Allergic to algebra, Amy-Jussel, anti-academic, APA sexualization study, Baiting Outrage, CCFC, change the channel, corporate responsibility, CSR, Empowering girls, ethics, focus on positive, Forever 21 tee, Gender Portrayal, girl caught, girlcott, Girls Day, I'm too pretty for math, JCPenney tee, media mindfulness, media-literacy, Nancy-Gruver, New Moon Girls, objectification, Packaging-Girlhood, parenting, PigTail Pals, positive media influence, positive tees, Redefine Girly, RESPECT, selling out kids, Sept 22, sexist messaging, Sexualization, So Sexy So Soon, SPARK, spark change, STEM, STEM programs for girls, tee party, TrueChild.org research, underachievement, underachievement girls

Talk To Me: Because Media Matters For Youth Outreach

September 9, 2011 by Amy Jussel 8 Comments

Sept. 9, 2011 “Text, poke, like, or chat...” What about TALK? I love how this Trevor "Talk To Me" 3-word anti-bullying campaign by The Trevor Project goes back into time to cut through the social media layers to get real with face time. The Talk to Me campaign for conversation succinctly sums the “Alone Together” dynamic that MIT sociologist Sherry Turkle mentions in her … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Shaping Youth, Stereotypes & Diversity Tagged With: Advocates-for-youth, anti-bullying, anti-gay, bullycide, bullying, campaign for conversation, Chronic Healing, gay suicide, gender equality, Glee, Global Leaders for Justice, Global-Good, homophobia, homosexuality, human rights, IASP, IDAHO, incivility, International Day Against Homophobia, It Gets Better, Jeanne Endo, Kevin McHale, Lgbt, LGBT Youth Need Heroes, Lifeline, Matthew Shepard, National Suicide Prevention, National Suicide Prevention Week, outreach, peace and social justice, Pflag, reach and teach, reachout, ReachOut in the USA, Safe Talk Teens, sexuality, social bigotry, social justice, Start the conversation, Straight Against Hate, suicide prevention, Talk to Me, Talk To Me.org, teaching tolerance, The Laramie Project, The Trevor Project, transgender, Trevor Talk To Me, youth at risk

Survivor, The Lunch Table Edition: SEL to Prevent Bullying

September 6, 2011 by Amy Jussel 8 Comments

Sept. 6, 2011 As school starts this week for the very few left that haven’t had summer short-circuited with August start dates, we’re continuing our focus on solutions-based media to ramp up Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and digital citizenship in an effort to not just squash ‘bullying’ but PREVENT it.Whether it’s an entirely new school experience or just curbing first … [Read more...]