Why Media makes Teenagers so Materialistic
             Materialism can be defined as primarily focusing on tangible items over spiritual or intellectual values. Although many people in America live this way, I feel as if a concentration on things rather than people is a meaningless way to exist. Since many people acknowledge and agree with my point of view, why does my generation continue to grow more materialistic?
             Although I wasn't living during my parents' teenage years, I can bet everything was different. Maybe it's because my parents weren't watching MTV everyday, or maybe its because, when my parents were younger, it was cool to have good grades and a good head on your shoulders than to have a designer outfit and a hooked-up car. Those are just two of things my peers hold in high regard. My guess however is that my parent's media was based on an era of Leave it to Beaver and Mayberry where people and ethical values had a higher place in society. My generation, 16 to 21 years old, however is totally different than our parents were. That is a shame because now, if you're in my generation you aren't accepted unless you fit the mold that the media has carefully created for us.
             MTV has definitely played a role in the developing teenage materialism. Every program or video shows trendy people wearing only the best new clothes, and in every preceding video and program is another new trend of clothes. For the teens who want so hard to fit in, it's really hard for them to keep up, and they feel they must for them to fit in. This increases our greediness to have everything they have-just so we can fit our generations idea of cool. The problem is MTV can only market one form of cool for so long before it becomes old. Cool to them is how much money they can get from the next company to advertise their new items. Therefore on TV, cool is constantly changing, resulting in more money being spent by us to ge...