Sixteen and Not Pregnant: Teen-created YouTube Parody Videos and Sexual Risk-Taking in the United States

Abstract

This study provides a qualitative content analysis of teen-produced parody videos of the MTV show 16 and Pregnant produced primarily in the United States. This study examined the types of strategies teens used to mimic the show as well as the common themes that emerged in the parody videos. Analyses looked at differences between the content of the original show and the parody videos. Girls produced the majority of the films, suggesting that media production may be an important avenue for girls to make sense of sexual risk-taking. In the end, this study argues for an expanded framework for researching television and risk behavior by considering youth's cultural production.

Keywords::

• social media
• teenagers
• girls
• television
• safe sex
• risk-taking
• YouTube
• gender
• participatory culture
• parody

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Carolyn M. Cunningham

Carolyn M. Cunningham is Assistant Professor in the Masters Program in Communication and Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University. She is the editor of Social Networking and Impression Management: Self-Presentation in the Digital Age (Lexington Books, 2012). Her research areas are gender, youth, social media, and video games. Email: [email protected]