Powered by Girl: Tips For Working in Tandem with Youth

Sept. 14, 2016 Warning! This book may fly in the face of how you’re working with young people, and jolt you into an awareness from which you may never see yourself or your work in the same way again. Part “how-to” guide for intergenerational relationships, and part media literacy peeking behind the stagecrafting of today’s journalism narratives, the case studies have … [Read more...]

Children’s App Reviews: Does Money Talk?

August 4, 2015 Lately I’ve been deluged by email solicitations to publish "sponsored content," turning down so many advertising requests that I now have a template reply that goes something like this:“Thank you for your interest and outreach, but currently Shaping Youth is a self-funded, nonprofit, media literacy entity, thus we take no advertising, content marketing, link … [Read more...]

Distractingly Sexy: Media Literacy Summer Fun

July 2, 2015 This summer has been heating up with a slow burn in social media maneuvers starting in June when female scientists set Twitter ablaze with the #DistractinglySexy hashtag in response to the now infamous comments made by Nobel prize winner Tim Hunt, who implied women were a distraction in the lab:“Let me tell you about my trouble with girls...Three things happen when … [Read more...]

Media Literacy: 50 Talking Points for 50 Shades of Grey

Feb. 13, 2015 Talk about Angry Birds. Parents have been swept into the viral vortex of a gazillion ambient ads piling on to the relentless hype of the Fifty Shades of Grey movie opening today.From sex toys adjacent to kids' toothbrushes at Target (a big box blunder could be just a merchandising mistake, but shrugging it off  in "you do you" mode is a larger corporate gaffe, … [Read more...]

Homework? Super Bowl Ads and Media Literacy

January 27, 2015 After updating prior Super Bowl posts about the persuasion, impact, influence, and latest trends in Super Bowl Ads, (including this new NFL PSA against domestic violence) it's imperative to also call out the "repeat offenders"...corporations that consistently produce toxic imagery and narratives in spite of criticism to elicit brand change.Two standouts are … [Read more...]