Communication Theory and Gen Z Popular Culture

All generations are shaped by narratives and artifacts, but Gen Z was born into in a golden age of media: endless choices of films, television shows, podcasts, celebrity figures, and social media content that entertains us and shapes our worldviews.

This book is a collection of twenty-eight influential media forms and artifacts paired with cutting-edge ideas in communication. We hope you’ll enjoy viewing your favorite films and TV shows through the lens of communication theory - unlocking ideas of your own and continuing Gen Z’s practical approach to challenges in your own communication and in our shared world. You may never look at your favorite series or your social media feed in quite the same way.

Communication Theory and Gen Z Popular Culture is a much-needed classroom text. Regardless of the generation the reader identifies with or if they are a scholar, they gain a clear understanding of the symbiotic relationship between theory and the real world.

— Dr. Tina M. Harris, Professor, Manship-Maynard Endowed Chair of Media & Cultural Literacy, Louisiana State University

Whether it’s an understanding of social identity theory through Taylor Swift or a discussion of hegemony in Barbie, Communication Theory and Gen Z Popular Culture engages readers in an approachable way that nurtures further critical inquiry. — Kristina Horn Sheeler, Dean of the Honors College, IU Indianapolis

Kathleen Glenister Roberts (Ph.D., Indiana University-Bloomington) is Professor and Executive Director of the Honors College at Duquesne University, where she taught in Communication & Rhetorical Studies for 20 years. She is the author of numerous essays and monographs including the national award-winning Alterity and Narrative (SUNY Press, 2007).

Jonathan Nichols-Pethick (Ph.D. Indiana University-Bloomington) is Professor of Media Studies at DePauw University. He is the author of TV Cops: The Contemporary American Television Police Drama (Routledge, 2012). His work has appeared in several anthologies and journals, including Cinema Journal and The Velvet Light Trap.