Notes From the Twilight Zone

Problems on the Intersection of Childhood and Adulthood in the New Screen Media Landscape

Abstract

The article explores the context of contemporary media, with particular attention to the TikTok universe, identifying a sort of “Twilight Zone” in which contents for adults and new generations mix. Through the analysis of specific cases (the “creepypasta” of Slender Man, the TV series Squid Game, and the film Terrifier), the problematic effects of a fluid media context are highlighted, for which both the new ways of acquiring content and the factual removal of restrictions on access to certain products are responsible. In outlining this new picture of age fluidity, a transversal pedagogy focused on media literacy is proposed as a possible solution for both new and old generations.