UC Communication Professor Publishes Book on Tween Girls and Their Relationship with Media Characters

Associate Professor of Communication Nancy Jennings recently published a book titled “Tween Girls and their Mediated Friends,” which focuses on the complex relationship between tween girls and media characters and how the girls reflect on relationships from the past. 

Jennings says that the importance of the book is that it allows readers to hear from tween girls about what they value in the character development of themselves and others. 

“We need to hear from them what they recall because that tells us what was most important and what had the greatest impact from those media experiences,” she says. “The girls picked characters that were strong female leads in different media outlets and traits that the girls themselves find important in personal development.”

While some are concerned about the negative images of role models in the media, Jennings says we also need to focus on the positive role models that the girls find and how they shape and influence girls’ identities and development. 

“This book tells us that tween girls value community, achievement and self-determination and gravitate towards others who value those attributes as well, even in their media choices,” she says. 

The book is available for purchase at http://peterlang.com/index.cfm?event=cmp.ccc.seitenstruktur.detailseiten&seitentyp=produkt&pk=80290&concordeid=312188.