Theoretical perspectives ranging from Social Cognitive Theory to Cultivation Theory agree that childhood is a critical point in socialization and that television is a major socialization tool. Studying content popular among children can provide insight into the norms and values being presented to young people – both in the past and today. How have the “worlds” of television “tweens” changed in the past 25 years? The “tween” –targeted television programs, Boy Meets World (1993) and Girl Meets World(2014) were comparatively analyzed. More specifically, characterization and theme in the pilot episodes of each program were compared. Though both programs are intimately related, even sharing certain characters, the “worlds” are distinct. Still, the “coming-of-age” theme is present in both.
Pilot episodes can provide a demonstrative sample of the overarching theme of a program. As the titles suggest, Boy Meets World followed the life of 11-year old Cory Matthews: his world at home with family and at school with friends. Life lessons were imparted not only by his parents, but also his neighbor/teacher, Mr. Feeney. The “moral” of each episode was typically related to one of Mr. Feeney’s classroom lessons. For instance, in the pilot episode this theme was “the power of love.” Similarly, Girl Meets World uses the classroom lesson to impart life-lessons to the protagonist. However, in this version the teacher is Cory Matthews, no longer 11-years old. Cory’s daughter, Riley, is the “girl” meeting the world, and he is offering lessons both at home and at school. In the pilot episode, Riley and her class are learning about the Civil War, and Riley experiences her own civil war as she seeks to discover who she really is – the good girl her parents have come to expect or the “bad girl” who lives for excitement, like her best friend, Maya.
About the presenterAmy Franzini
Amy Richards Franzini is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Widener University in Chester, PA. She received both her M.A. and Ph.D. in Mass Media and Communications from Temple University. Dr. Franzini studies the representations of children, childhood, parents and parenting in popular media. Dr. Franzini has chapters published in the books, Common Sense: Intelligence as Presented on Popular Television (2008) and Fleeting Images:Portrayals of Children in Popular Culture (2012).