When “Magaluf” appears in a headline, it’s clear
that an ominous story has been written where a young person(s) is involved.
Maybe teenagers feel indignant towards the media for
branding them as a stigma. After all, wasn’t being young always associated with
infamous behaviour?
So why in 2014, are polemic media organisations
fervently berating the actions of young people? Some argue that teenagers are
representing themselves negatively and it's not the media being the catalyst for the
grim depiction.
Many stories are being published of teenage drunken
antics. But not just in writing. Newspapers are accompanying images beside
explicit reports and news websites are providing video clips to support the text.
So that is the fundamental issue. Technology. Nearly
every social occasion young people experience is captured on camera or recorded
online. Therefore, if we become intoxicated, we are not safe from future
derision or severe consequences.
People need to stop being pretentious when they read
these stories whilst they comment on how absurd these teenage actions are. I’m
sure they were not all so obsequious during their youth. Fortunately for them,
they could get drunk and not have to worry about technology exploiting their
behaviour.
Some young people's acts have been
intolerable. This generation has to accept that their actions have a high
chance of being exposed and therefore they should take extra caution.
But evolving technology and the encouragement to take alcohol
and drugs are placing them at risk. In reality, being young and abroad will
result in an excessive consumption of alcohol and it’s likely to be filmed.
Therefore, more stories of deplorable teenage conduct will be published for
years to come.
Is it justifiable for the media to further advertise
these pictures and videos? It’s understandable why they publish them because it
shocks their readers and inspires debate. Surprise stories are included in news
values, maybe the continuous broadcasting of such incidents will diminish the astonishment factor and the number of reports of teenage disgrace will reduce.
The link below contains a video filmed by an undercover
journalist in Magaluf. Maybe the media are attempting to give teens abroad a notorious
name. Or they are trying to raise awareness. It’s difficult to question a
journalists agenda but what we do know is that technology is implacable and
young people need to understand they are in a hazardous position of scrutiny.
