Coming in August on FRONTLINE
There’s a moment in Generation Like — FRONTLINE’s recent documentary on the evolving relationship between teens, social media and corporate marketing — that many of our viewers found surprising.
It happens midway through the film, when correspondent Douglas Rushkoff asks a group of teens what they think about the idea of “selling out” — and learns that the term has lost its cultural relevance.
“I don’t know what that means,” one teen responds.
“I guess, I don’t know, I think first about a concert that’s, like, totally sold out, like, no tickets left,” another says.
It’s a moment that still has people talking — and if you missed it the first time, you’re in luck: Generation Like is one of three popular documentaries we’ll rebroadcast this month.
Here’s a closer look at our August lineup:
Aug. 5: Generation Like (Encore Presentation)
In this eye-opening follow-up to FRONTLINE’s 2001 documentary The Merchants of Cool, author Douglas Rushkoff returns to the world of youth culture to explore how the perennial teen quest for identity and connection has migrated to social media — and how big brands are increasingly enlisting kids as willing foot soldiers in their marketing machines.
Aug. 19: The Retirement Gamble (Encore Presentation)
For most Americans, traditional retirement is now a pipe dream: Six in 10 people believe they’ll have to delay retirement, just 14 percent are very confident they’ll be able to live comfortably once they stop working, and 17 percent believe they’ll never retire at all.
Building on reporting from the groundbreaking special Money, Power and Wall Street, FRONTLINE’s Martin Smith investigates how America’s financial institutions protect our savings — and what you can do to protect yours.
Aug. 26: A Death in St. Augustine (Encore Presentation)
On the night she broke up with her deputy sheriff boyfriend, Michelle O’Connell was found dead from a gunshot in the mouth. Next to her was her boyfriend’s semi-automatic service pistol. The sheriff’s office called it suicide, but was it?
FRONTLINE and The New York Times investigate this young mother’s death, and what can go wrong when the police face the possibility of domestic violence within their own ranks.
