UCLA

Sociocultural theory emphasizes the role of culture and society on individual development (Davydov, 1995; Vygotsky, 1978). In the 21st century, media have become an essential feature of society, with the current generation of youth being the first to be defined by technology and innovation (Gardner, 2013). An examination of television, a media that can reflect cultural trends, found that the value of fame was the top portrayed value (out of a list of 16 values) in 2007, while it was near the bottom of the list in the years 1967, 1977, 1987 and 1997. During the same time period, the value of community feeling had become less visible, dropping from number one and two to number 11 in 2007 (Uhls & Greenfield, 2011). A follow up study with focus groups of fourth and sixth grade children in LA found that preteens were aware of the messages about fame in TV content, and that online media practices reinforced these messages (Uhls & Greenfield, 2012). Subsequent research using a survey with a large geographically diverse sample (N=315) found that television watching and social networking jointly predicted the value of individualism, constructed as future aspirations for fame, financial success, status and image. Collectivism did not hold a relationship with media. A last study, a field experiment with an intervention and matched control group, found that eliminating screens for five days improved preteens emotion understanding. Taken together, these studies demonstrate that 21st century media dramatically influence social and emotional development. Implications are that educators, parents and policy makers should educate youth about the impact that media has on their lives, while particular care should be taken to create opportunities for face to face social interaction as frequently as possible.