Over the Edge: How the Pursuit of Youth by Marketers and the Media Has Changed American Culture

For decades young people in the 18-to-34 age group have been the darlings of advertisers and marketers who yearn for greater sales and the elusive buzz of publicity. As a consequence of this focus, Bogart argues, media content itself has changed. Sex and violence have become endemic in movies and TV because they attract young audiences. This momentous shift has come about despite a flawed marketing premise-the idea that young audiences are the most valuable consumers does not jibe with the evidence. Drawing on long experience as a scholar and practitioner, and using extensive research and exclusive interviews with media producers, Bogart traces the connection between commercial interests and standards of propriety in movies and television. This provocative book contains an implicit challenge to America’s big media which they will ignore at their peril, as they probably will.-Reuven Frank, former president NBC News.