Task 1...

Bully & Skins

1. In the opening of skins the teenagers, and especially the young girls, were portrayed as being permiscuous as they were shown to be sexually pleased by other characters. The females were also shown to be dominant and also active characters as they were smoking and also thier posture and facial expressions were domineering. Not only were they dominant but they were also voilent as they were shown to be hitting another character completely breaking the stereotypical barriers of girls.
The males on the other hand seemed to take a more laid back approach- either being the joker or the passive character. Also, the lack of older characters such as parents or teachers, represents teenagers as being selfish rebels, and not complying with rules and vales that should be upheld in society.
However, in the trailer of Bully the males were more predominant as they were portrayed to be the active and aggressive characters shown through kicking boxes, giving other characters 'wedgie's', hitting and slapping other male characters. Through the use of the male protagonist using weapons shows that teenagers are primarily torublesome and want to inflict pain on other people.
In both texts, they portray teenagers to be selfish and carry out illegal acts, such as smoking illegal substances or using weapons.Also, in both texts it is apparant that teenagers are inflicting pain on each other creating the idea that teenagers are complying with gang voilence.

2. Current Representations Current representations are mostly another 'moral panic', as most representations such as those in skins and bully present teenagers as being rebels. In particular in the film 'Kidulthood' there is a major focus on teenagers being a part of gang violence, with particular interest in drugs and guns and are also generally linked in with money and the amount they can grasp their hands on.
There are also constant stories that are written about teenagers in the news, whether they are being charged for gun and knife crime or a victim of them. Also, in a particular episode of 'Skins' one of the female characters meets a stranger, gets drunk, steals from a petrol station shop, and tries drugs with him, creating the idea that all teenagers act like this when they go out for the day.

3. New & Dig Representations It can be argued that new and digital media has given teenagers the opportunity to shape their own media representation through websited such as youtube, which gives teenagers the option to record and post videos of thier talents or even thoughts that they may have. This therefore, shows a different side to teenagers, showing society that they have other interests instead of drugs, weapons and money. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter allow teenagers to post up pictures, vidoes and update a 'status' about what they are doing, again giving teenagers the opportunity to show they are more than the stereotypes that they are labelled.
Although, due to new and digital media, it has only globalised what acts teenagers have carried out, such as the rise in gun and knife crime, therefore globalising the moral panic of teenagers and the stereotypical view that they hold. It has also given society the opportunity to communicate these ideas of teenagers, which has made the view of them a global moral panic and stick to the ideologies that they are presented as in the media.