originally published 7/1/2003

Alissa Quart, author of Branded: The Buying and Selling of Teenagers (Basic Books, 2004) explains how advertisers exploit the normal developmental characteristics of preteens and teens in order to sell them products. By stoking insecurities and feeding the desire to curate one’s identity, marketers know how to tap into the psychology of teenagers. Quart explains how this has led to kids “getting older younger,” as they are forced out of their inner worlds of imagination and childhood and into awareness of how they are perceived by their peers. She also describes how advertisers recruit teens as “volunteer consultants” in focus groups and on social media, leading to the creation of the concept of teen “influencers.” This interview was originally published on Volume 62 of the Journal.

12 minutes

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