Racism, Sexism, and Critical Consciousness in Adolescents’ and Emerging Adults’ Media Ecologies

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

More than any other age group, adolescents and emerging adults use media to engage with political and social issues, especially those related to longstanding problems of racism and sexism (Pew Research, 2020). On the one hand, society views young people as trailblazers of progressive change using media to become “woke” to critical perspectives on race and gender and challenge dominant ideologies and behaviors (i.e., “call out culture”). On the other hand, mainstream media continue to transmit racist and sexist tropes while social media are wielded to perpetrate gender and race based violence. Therefore, this symposium considers both risks and opportunities of media use for adolescents’ and emerging adults’ beliefs and attitudes related to race and gender. Paper 1 shows that TV viewing and social media are differentially related to critical consciousness and perceptions of African-Americans among Black and White adolescents. Paper 2 tests whether liberal and conservative emerging adults’ social media posting about Black Lives Matter in 2020 is associated with their critical consciousness and system justification beliefs two years later. Paper 3 takes an intersectional approach, examining how mainstream media use is differently related to sexist beliefs and values among Black, White, and Asian girls and boys, and its implications for girls’ STEM achievement. The papers present new understandings of Generation Z and media that go beyond frequency measures to highlight different forms of media engagement among diverse youth that promote and hinder their construction of critical perspectives on race and gender.

Sub Unit

• Technology, Media & Child Development

Chair

• Adriana Maria Manago, University of California - Santa Cruz

Individual Presentations

• From stereotypes to structural inequalities: What do youth learn about race from mainstream media? - Presenting Author: L. Monique Ward, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor; Enrica Bridgewater, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor; Stephanie Johnson Rowley, University of Virginia - Charlottesville

• Not that kind of girl: Intersections of media use, race, gender stereotypes, and STEM beliefs - Presenting Author: Miranda Reynaga, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor; L. Monique Ward, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor; Stephanie Johnson Rowley, University of Virginia - Charlottesville

• Emerging Adults’ Social Media Posts during Black Lives Matter 2020, Critical Consciousness, and System Justification - Presenting Author: Karinna Nazario, University of California - Santa Cruz; Adriana Maria Manago, University of California - Santa Cruz; Christina Shane-Simpson; Anna Schwartz