"Once You Shop, You Can't Stop": Critical Media Literacy and the Socially Constructed Hyperfeminine Ideal

• In Event: Media, Culture, and Learning SIG: The Role of Technology in Communities

Abstract

This study examines the social impact of online video games currently marketed to young girls. In recent years, online applications tailored specifically for girls have carved out a burgeoning niche in a marketplace that for many years has traditionally catered only to the interests of boys. Some educators argue that anything that develops computer skills in girls is ultimately beneficial, as it encourages girls to perceive technology as non-threatening. However, the burgeoning girl-game market may well have an adverse effect on girls’ willingness to participate in the fields of science and technology. This paper asks: Are big-brand companies producing games for girls, or are they instead perhaps producing girls themselves?

Author

• Rebecca Hughes, University of Toronto