Examines the changing industry role of the six transnational phonogram companies. Argues that high market concentration does not produce an inevitable decrease in popular music diversity. Presents a new popular music model that takes into account the open system of musical production as a strategy in maintaining control of the marketplace. (SR)

Traces changes in images of Native Americans over time, emphasizing the role of gender, and how Native-American men and women have become sexualized in relation to the "White gaze," an important component of colonial domination. Shows that the 1990s'"lovely princess" and "Native-American stud" may be more benign than…

Notes that while many adults seem to be rejoicing in the fact that the Harry Potter books have brought the pleasures of book reading to a new generation of young readers, Harry Potter is also entering the realm of popular media culture. Discusses and analyses the effect Harry Potter books have on children and on society. (SG)

A deconstruction of music videos that makes visible their aesthetic rules or grammar is necessary before an overall theoretical understanding is possible. Content-analytic studies usually divide music videos into two groups: "performance" and "concept" videos. Concept videos, in turn, can be subdivided into two different kinds:…

Examines common scholarly characterizations of the American penny press of the 1830s and 40s that together provide a myth of origins of the contemporary U.S. press. Criticizes inaccuracies and misleading elements in this mythology and its implications for subsequent debate about U.S. journalism. (JK)

Throughout history, certain members of nearly all cultures have deliberately altered their body's natural appearance. Today, people live in a time when medicine can cure the body and also reshape it. Hence, many people use biomedical means, such as steroids and hormones to alter their bodies. Additionally, cosmetic surgery is becoming increasingly…

The recent Irish film "Into the West" (1992) explores the myth of the West on two continents. Images from television and movies appear as a visual reference point within "Into the West"; the main characters, two young Irish boys, are fascinated with the American West of cowboys and Indians as depicted in countless Hollywood…

A qualitative study examined how teenagers react to and interpret certain popular media messages. In addition it explored the relationship between content containing various sexual messages and teenagers' responses to those messages, with particular attention to the critical abilities this audience exhibits. Fifty male and female teenagers aged…

In light of the Kerner Commission's (1968) recommendations that Blacks be included more frequently on television and in a diversity of roles, a study examined how the portrayal of Blacks on television has changed since 1968 and how Blacks are currently portrayed in commercial television series. Samples of all national network commercial television…

Indicates, by analyzing two types of montage structures, that music television is a hybrid form of television programing displaying visual characteristics of both television commercials and drama. Argues that this amalgam of different characteristics gives music television its distinctive look and power as a promotional tool for the record…

An ethnographic study of African American first graders showed how their use of media material is linked to family and community memberships. Storytelling and play involved recontextualization (borrowing, translating, retelling) of the material. Context shaped their participation in school literacy practices. (Contains 70 references.) (SK)

Summarizes sources on popular culture which can be used in designing a composition course centered around a mass culture theme. (MM)

Reflects on the influence of popular culture and mass media on young people, and argues for a broader notion of literacy that includes verbal and visual literacy as well as all manner of other "texts," because the teaching of literacy has exploded right along with satellite technology and microchips. (SR)

When teachers allow students to write stories that include elements of popular media, we must ask what to do with these media elements once they have entered the classroom. This article relates findings from a classroom study focusing on children's media-based story writing. The study looks at children as producers of new media texts and describes…

Television is one of the most pervasive forms of communication and one of the most influential and visible forms of popular culture. Some researchers believe that the mass communication capability of television has increased cultural homogeneity in all but a very few places. This paper contends that the American, National, and Columbia…