| Young Adult Literature and Multimedia--Resources |
Maximizing Teen Magazines
by Tricia Koons of Bedford, VA
UW-Stout: Young Adult Literature
Make-up, skateboarding, fashion, celebrities, hip-hop, video-gaming – what do these elements of pop culture have in common? Each topic (along with many others) fills the pages of teen magazines. Publishers of teen magazines, teen readers of these magazines, and teachers of adolescents and school librarians face change as pop culture has evolved and we learn how to best maximize magazines.
The 1990s was a period of strong growth for U.S. publishers of teen magazines greatly helped by the fact that “teens constituted the fastest-growing segment of the population;” however, in “2004, analysts warned that the teen market had peaked” (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004). As a result of this decline, publishers of teen magazines are trying to deal with three main challenges: readers who age and outgrow material in a short period of time, “the fragmented pop culture,” and the increase of technology use (D’innocenzio, 2006). Age is a factor that publishers can’t control. Instead, publishers of ladies magazines have tried to maintain their readership by offering junior versions of their adult magazine titles such as Teen Vogue, Cosmo GIRL! and Elle Girl. Publishers have had limited success with this approach and teen magazines continue to go out of publication. In terms of pop culture, teens have more varied interests now. Instead of tending to listening to one kind of music like teens in the past, teens today may listen to a variety of types downloaded to their iPods. Thus, magazines that are too narrow in scope may lose readers to a magazine that offers wider subject coverage. The final area, teen technology use, is where magazine publishers have really made an effort and have seen progress. In the past, magazines were simply available in printed format that permitted very little reader interaction beyond writing a letter to the editor or sending in a drawing or photograph. Ann Shoket, editor of Seventeen, states that “everything has to be fun, interactive and inspire confidence” (Roberts, 2007) for teenagers who read magazines in today’s market. Therefore, publishers are launching online websites (Seventeen.com), video pod casts, reality based web episodes, social networking sites (Flip.com) and mobile sites (ellegirlMobile) that engage readers and supplement or even replace the print magazine. The addition of technology has allowed teen magazine readers to interact with and customize stories and information while providing publishers with a way to sustain teen interest.
Are teen magazine readers just girls? Absolutely not! A 2004 study conducted by the Magazine Publishers of America showed that “magazines appeal to Teens, with eight out of ten teens reading magazines” (2008). That includes females and males. The study goes on to show that “teens read a wide variety of magazines, especially those or including those that are targeted to their own particular interests, life stage, and gender” (Magazine Publishers of America, 2008). In the study, gender was the primary basis by which titles seem to be selected by teens. In 2002, a study was conducted by Jeffrey Wilhelm of the University of Maine and Michael Smith of Rutgers University and published under the title “Reading Don’t Fix No Chevy:” Literacy in the Lives of Young Men. After surveying teenage boys in grades 6 through 12, researchers “discovered that . . . these boys have very active private literate lives” (Cox, 2003). Boys may not be reading school related texts, but they are reading in their leisure time. Often, boys are reading subject oriented magazines. Over half of the boys reported reading magazines about sports, music, computers, and entertainment (Cox, 2003). This backs up the claim that “boys prefer information type materials, especially magazines” (Cox, 2003).
In conclusion, adolescents are reading magazines. The interest is there whether it is fashion, sports, current events, or dirt bikes. Hopefully, teachers and school librarians can glean the following from this brief look at the world of teen magazines. First, magazines are read by both male and female teens. Gender does seem to be an important aspect of teen selection, so it is necessary to have “girl” and “boy” magazines in a collection along with publications that appeal to both groups, such as Skateboarder and Teen Ink. Second, many of the teen magazines can now be interacted with in some manner. This may prompt educators to re-examine classroom and school policies for acceptable technology use. Will students at school be allowed to access the online formats, websites, blogs, etc. or will that need to be done outside of school? For the teacher or librarian who is told by a student that he doesn’t read, “chances are that boy does read,” but he is “probably reading newspapers . . .magazines . . .and heavily illustrated nonfiction” (Jones, 2003).
Make sure your classroom or library has issues of magazines displayed with their covers shown – just like you see in the supermarket newsstands. In other words, magazines should be visible in your collection to capture attention. As much as possible, include a variety of subjects and age ranges. Before subscribing, ask students about their interests and hobbies. The Madison Public Library is a good source for those unsure of what’s available in teen publishing. Their webpage at http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/youth/magazines.html provides a list of magazine titles for kids and teens with age ranges, descriptions, web links, and subscription information. Educators tend to view magazines as “light” or “pleasure” reading. Realize that pleasure reading is a part of life-long reading. However, consider actually using magazines in your classroom or library lessons. “Get teens interested and involved in world affairs,” as Lypny, a teen, states “we would like to know about the world we are inheriting – and it’s not coated in lip gloss” (2007).
Lesson ideas could include becoming critical readers using online and print versions of magazines, creating your own classroom magazine, and examining the messages of media by looking at advertisements and magazine covers. As educators, we need to maximize magazine use since the majority of teens are already “hooked” on this form of literature and the information it provides about pop culture.
References
Blyth, M. (2004, October 1). Teen magazines lose their spot in the popular crowd. The New York Sun. Retrieved February 10, 2008, from http://www.nysun.com/article/2530
Case, T. (2007, February). Trouble in teen land. Mediaweek, 17(9), 30,32. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1229658671).
Couch, C. (2007, May 1). Best magazines of 2006. Library Journal, 132(8), 38-39. Retrieved February 7, 2008, from Academic Search Elite database.
Cox, R. (2003, February). From boys’ life to thrasher: Boys and magazines. Teacher Librarian, 30(3), 25. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Academic Search Elite database.
D’innocenzio, A. (2006, August 29). Magazines drop print for web to reach teens. USA Today. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-08-29-teen-mags-net_x.htm
George, L. (2007, June 4). Revenge of the eighth-grade misfit. Maclean’s, 120(21), 59-59. Retrieved February 9, 2008, from Academic Search Elite database.
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. (2004, October 5). Tweens, teens, and magazines. Program for the Study of Entertainment Media and Health, publication number 7152 . Retrieved February 10, 2008, from http://www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/Tweens-Teens-and-Magazines-Fact-Sheet.pdf
Jones, P., Fiorelli, D., Doirion, R., Scieszka, J., Haupt, A., Cox, R., et al. (2003, January 1). Overcoming the obstacle course: Teenage boys and reading; Boy books, girl books: Should we re-organize our school library collections?; Guys and reading: Where the boys are . . . ; From boys’ life to thrasher: Boys and magazines; Connecting with boys at lunch: A success story; Motivating boys as beginning readers. Teacher Librarian, 30(3), 9. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ668270) Retrieved February 11, 2008, from ERIC database.
Lypny, N. (2007, November). Teen magazines lack substance. Teen Ink, p. 43. Retrieved February 9, 2008, from MAS Ultra – School Edition database.
Magazine Publishers of America (2004). Teens, magazines, and media. Teen Market Profile, 10-16. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from http://www.magazine.org/content/files/teenprofile04.pdf
Olson, E. (2007, May 28). OMG! Cute boys, kissing tips and lots of pics, as magazines find a niche. New York Times (Late Edition (east Coast)), C.1. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from ProQuest Newsstand database. (Document ID: 1278109511).
Roberts, J., & Eady, A. (2007, September 10). Ah, to be sweet seventeen. Newsweek (Pacific Edition), 150(11), 58-58. Retrieved February 7, 2008, from MasterFILE Premier database.
These lesson plans, guides, and other resource materials for young adult literature topics were created by participants in a professional development course in young adult Literature. Each resource is copyrighted by the individual educator who developed the material. The present course being taught is titled: Teaching Young Adult Literature in the Classroom from the University of Wisconsin-Stout (Sharron L. McElmeel, instructor)