Harvesting Minds: How TV Commercials Control Kids [Hardcover]

Roy F. Fox (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0275952037 | ISBN-13: 978-0275952037 | Publication Date: September 30, 1996 | Edition: Second Printing

What happens when kids are held captive to an endless stream of MTV-like television commercials? Armed with a tape recorder, Roy F. Fox, a language and literacy researcher, spent two years interviewing over 200 students in rural Missouri schools. Why? Because more than eight million students in 40% of America's schools, every day, watch TV commercials as part of Channel One's news broadcast. Students read commercials far more often than they read Romeo and Juliet. These ads now constitute America's only national curriculum. In this ground-breaking study, Fox explores how these commercials affect kids' thinking, language, and behavior. He found that such ads do indeed help shape children into more active consumers. For example, months after a pizza commercial had stopped airing, students reported that one brief scene showed a couple on an airplane. The plane's seats, students noted, were "red with little blue squares that have arrows sticking out of them." Also, kids "blurred" one type of TV text with another, often mistaking Pepsi ads for public service announcements. Kids "replayed" commercials by repeating or reconstructing an ad in some way--by singing songs, jingles, and catch-phrases; by cheering at sports events (one crowd at a school football game erupted into the Domino's Pizza cheer); by creating art projects that mirrored specific commercials, and even by dreaming about commercials (the product, not the dreamer, is the star).

Editorial Reviews

Review

“[A]n eye-opener. General and undergraduate collections in education, communication, and advertising.”–Choice

“This is a needed resource in any school wanting to teach an understanding of media literacy. Not only could this book be used in English or media studies, but it would also be an excellent resource for use in business classes as it studies the impact of commercials on students in middle and secondary schools. Highly recommended.”–The Book Report

“In this eye-opening work, Fox explores the impact of the commercials carried by Channel One--and, by extension, all media--on children, how children respond to these commercials, and what we can do about the situation.”–Publishers Weekly

“What happens when the historically protected and increasingly valuable sphere of the public classroom is invaded by the very images and messages that it should help students to evaluate? This remarkable, ground-breaking, and timely study addresses that question.”–from the foreword by George Gerbner, Dean Emeritus The Annenberg School for Communications, University of Pennsylvania

“If there were any doubts about the effects of advertising on children, Roy Fox's book should forever banish them. Fox lays out in chilling and disturbing detail the sale of our children to the influence of corporate advertising on television....It is not an exaggeration to say that this book should be read--and studied--by every parent, teacher, school board member, and legislator who is concerned about the welfare of all children. After reading Fox's book, you will never again use the phrase 'just an ad' when talking about television advertising. And you will see television with new eyes, insight, and understanding.”–William Lutz, Professor of English, Rutgers University

“Kids today may well know the glittering surfaces and superficialities of ads--the slogans and the celebrities--but this book shockingly reminds us that kids are still kids. Despite the increased sophistication of modern persuasion techniques, kids are still very naive, uncritical, and innocent about the ways of the world of persuasion. As a patient researcher and listener, Roy Fox elicits and records the comments of children as they talk about the ads they've seen on Channel One as part of the nationwide captive audience delivered to the advertisers.”–Hugh Rank, Governors State University

Book Description

Fox's groundbreaking study explores how kids respond to the TV commercials they must watch as part of their school day. After interviewing 200 kids in rural Missouri schools that receive the Channel One broadcast, Fox concludes that such commercials influence kids' thinking, language, and behavior, shaping them into more active consumers.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: Praeger Publishers; Second Printing edition (September 30, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275952037
• ISBN-13: 978-0275952037
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,935,060 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Channel One (and its ads in the classroom) analyzed well., September 5, 1999

By 

Hugh Rank - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Harvesting Minds: How TV Commercials Control Kids (Hardcover)

Fox's book is a field researcher's report about the effects of Channel One on kids. Using a tape recorder to document the words, the author collects convincing anecdotal evidence, then offers a good analysis of it. Kids today may well know the glittering surfaces and superficialities of ads -- the slogans and the celebrities -- but this book reminds us that kids are still kids: very naive, uncritical, and innocent about the ways of the world of persuasion. Fox elicits and records the comments of children as they talk about the ads they've seen on Channel One as part of this nationwide captive audience of over 8 million kids in classrooms, in a valuable locale and "day-part." Of special interest is the author's analysis of the kids' deep involvement in these ads, and of the many ways they incorporate and "replay" these ad messages. This book should be required reading -- and reflection --for every teacher, administrator, and school board member who is responsible for allowing Channel One into their classrooms.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Why are you reading this book?, December 24, 2008

By 

Gene6 "Gene6" (The Village) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Harvesting Minds: How TV Commercials Control Kids (Paperback)

Hey.. maybe if I took Amazon up on their "Video Review", added a lot of quick shots, catching fast paced music, and attractive undergrads. The "Teachers" thinking about buying this book would... do what ever I tell them to do!! Cool Huh? Read this book and I'm sure you will come to the same conclusion. ;)

The author is a "Teacher".. which means he has absolutely no clue. None what so ever.

But hey.. it is not written in PhD speak. Meaning us little people that can read "English" can grasp most of what the author is yammering about.

Instead of making "Channel One" out to be the bad guy.. He should have at least "Wondered" why these poor rural students had no critical thinking skills. As parents. Do you sit down with your kid and explain "Pepsi" is a big company trying its best to sell you over priced sugar water? Apparently nearly all of these "Lab Rats"- "Childrens" parents never explained what a "Commercial" is. Duh? Aww but then.. the fine college educated "Teachers" (The people that should know better) NEVER EVER explained that commercials are all fake. Here lets all do it now.. "Attention Kids! Those commercials you just saw.. they are fake!" See I was able to do it.

I'm reading this book as a follow up to reading a Wiki Search on Propaganda. "Propaganda" the word and the evil it represents was thought up by this fine old chap Edward L. Bernays. Further down the wiki page was a whole lot of links between Propaganda and Childhood development. This led me to begin study on.. you guessed it. The media manipulation of children.

Call me strange. I was born and raised in Las Vegas Nevada. A place where Gaggles of rich old folks retire. Where we accept them and not tax them all that much for education. Hey they educated their kinds back East with real schools. It would be "Stupid" to pay to raise somebody else's kids.. right?

Luckily (or maybe not) I got a full dose of the 1960's. Critical thinking.. not taking mr/ms. Media's word as gospel. Sad to say it kicked in when I decided not to bend what was left of my will to a College Degree. Which in my case is UNLV. A college that continues to have buildings. Clark County has a great Library system. In fact we pay our librarians more than any other city in America. Buildings? Yup.. they are large and wonderful. Books? Well that really is not part of how things work here. Great for "Cook Books".. Not a whole lot for people that need to understand the world around them.

Oh and another thing. Critical thinking or more simply, questioning authority? Since 9/11.. ALL major media have made a concerned effort to erase those concepts.

Are you a teacher? I'm sorry that creative writing or "Sand Box" 4 year degree doesn't pay. Teaching is an easy gig.. (that's why you are reading this) and if you sell out right away, a cool admin job is right around the corner. Maybe even a seat on the school board.

If you love your fellow man and his children... Go to Adbusters.org. Order their media teaching kit. But if you do.. you might succeed in doing GOOD. People get fired or nailed up on a cross for such acts of kindness and love.

Heak.. you most likely sold out when you were 5. You are taking this stupid grad school course and your Hippie instructor told you to read this junk. Throw it away. I assure you big money and success.

GENE