Damon Winter/The New York TimesJustin Bieber fans waited to get tickets for a screening of “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never” in Times Square.Go to related article »
Materials | Computers with Internet access, examples of print or online entertainment media (optional)
Warm-Up | At the start of class, present the following list of five descriptive phrases to students (either written on the board or read aloud), and explain that they all refer to the same person. Instruct students to write down who they think this person is as soon as they know, but not to call out.
- a cuddly creature
- a thing to be “consumed: downloadable, forwardable, shareable and essentially untouchable” (see below)
- more engaging as a star than he’s ever likely to be as a performer
- a carefully constructed sex symbol
- an ideal repository for other people’s dreams
Have students volunteer their guesses and share which phrases clued them in on the subject, Justin Bieber. Or, if students do not know, reveal Justin Bieber as the subject and ask them why it might be hard to guess this from the descriptors provided. You might also gauge students’ reactions to the teenage celebrity.
Ask: Does it seem strange to consider a pop star as a subject worthy of academic discussion, especially when they might be used to reading more “everyday” facts or positive coverage about him? Why or why not? What are the differences between studying a popular phenomenon like Justin Bieber as a serious subject and consuming information about him in media outlets like celebrity magazines and Web sites? List ideas on the board.
Now reveal that all of these descriptions were taken from New York Times articles on Justin Bieber. Are students surprised that a newspaper like The Times would give serious attention to a pop star, devoting a Times Topics page and not just one, but also three articles to him in one week (not to mention references to his Super Bowl ad and Grammy Awards performance)? Why or why not?
