Preface of "Fast Forward" by Lauren Greenfield

What I Understand:
Lauren Greenfield, a photographer, wrote Fast Forward after numerous interviews and photographs of teenagers in LA. She was interested in this topic not only because she grew up in LA, but also because "LA teens help create the trends and attitudes that reverberate among international youth" (Greenfield 1). She also found that teens from all socio-economic classes have a "community of shared influences that create shared values" due to the over-reaching effects of the media. Images from Hollywood have become a homogeneous force for teenagers from all backgrounds. Therefore, Greenfield felt that LA would be the best and most dramatic place to study the media's affect on teens.

One of Greenfield's conclusions was that the LA youth experience, especially with the advent of hip-hop culture has resulted in an "early loss of innocence" (1). S Greenfield claims that the power of the Hollywood dream, which states the importance of image and fame, has led to this so-called "loss of innocence." Teens try to emulate these superficial values they see in the media, especially those values they are lacking. Although teenagers from all backgrounds may listen to "gangsta rap," Greenfield gives the example of the white suburban teen attempting to adopt the inner-city "gangsta" style, or of an inner-city student trying to portray an image of wealth. In all, Greenfield concludes that "the self-consciousness that underlines their aspirations (whether to be famous or look famous) inevitably costs them their innocence."

What I don't Understand/Topics to Bring Up:

What does innocence even mean? Does it mean ignorance of the big, bad world? Why is this supposed to be good?

Connections to other readings

• Greenfield's article is similar to Ferguson's in that they both describe the need to imitate images in the media. This is true with the "bad boys" having to "be hard" from hip-hop culture in Ferguson.
• Greenfield and Prensky both argue about the homogenizing force of the media. Teens from all different cultures now try to imitate and can relate to the media in Greenfield. In Prensky, teenagers from many culture understand how to use technology. These medias change how teenagers view the world and how they learn.