What are Subcultures, Alternative Youth Cultures, Mainstream Youth Cultures? The line has blurred to such an extent that it is difficult to find typical examples for each. Just what is alternative youth culture? How do you find it? How old is youth?
The key academic elements of youth subcultures as discussed in Jordaan and Jordaan (Man in Context, p. 726) and are defined as a collection of people who share in an awareness of membership, interact with one another, share one or more implicit objectives or motives, develop explicity or implicity a set of norms or rules exerting pressure to conform and consider consensus highly within the group. If interaction between members of group is long lasting, then a leader and followers pattern develops and interpersonal attraction and respect develops between members.
Subcultures develop when the dominant culture fails to meet the needs of a particular group of people. Often this failure to meet needs becomes manifest in the journey from childhood to adulthood. Youth come together for support as they traverse the rocky road into aduldhood and subcultures form.
Skaters skate together, grafitti artists paint together and Emo's manufacture misery together.
Spankmag is touted as the first youth culture online magazine by and for young people. This global online community for 14 to 24 year olds started life as an eZine however, it now operates more as a youth forum, youth blogsite and youth news site.
After one visit to the Spankmag site is was blatantly obvious that this site is merely a commercial venture. Advertisers links to internet shopping sites just waiting to take your credit card details. Spankmag is just an online teen magazine. As discussed by Jonathan Alexander in Digital Youth, Emerging Literacies on the World Wide Web, Spankmag has the appearance and intent to give youth access to a voice, a chance to interact, to share information and ideas that are of concern to youth. Alexander also notes that the sites 'News' forums are quite limited in ther range of interetsts. The news seems particularly weighted toward the entertainment world, featuring pop stars, albums and film reviews. Spankmag is most certainly a coexistence of commercial and youth interests.
I was quite amazed at the professionalism of youth subculture site Krump Kings.
K.R.U.M.P.ing (Kingdom Radically Uplifted Mighty Praise) has evolved from Ghetto roots and uses the dance form of Krumping as a non violent alternative to street violence. This style of dance is a highly volatile, expressive and versatile dance form. Youth site Cooeey, is a place where you can create your own online world to express yourself and interact with others. You can also buy 'Coodos', via your mobile phone account and then spend your 'Coodos' in the Cooeey shopping mall.
All sites researched had some form of commercial component. You have to ask the question. Is a commercially driven alternative youth culture site really alternative? Are the youth who devote their time to these sites being hoodwinked?
Another interesting feature of youth culture and subcultures is how they are perceived. Not so frightening anymore, we now regard their behaviours as normal and almost mainstream. The social acceptance of youth culture lures a much wider segment of society into co-opting these behaviours. Perhaps in an attempt to recapture their own youth?
I am a typical example of a middle age woman co-opting youth. Aged in my 40's I have my belly pierced and I recently got a rather large tattoo on my backside. These acts, whilst shocking to my 80yo mother, barely raised an eyebrow amongst my peers. In fact a good friend in Austria was so enarmoured with my tattoo that she has saved it on her computer as her wallpaper. I have to chuckle when I think of my backside becoming aspirational!
3 comments:
Within limits (and even these are often prescribed by wider society), the ability to do what you want when you want is increasingly accepted in todays culture - youth or otherwise. This comes from a male who didn't have a piercing until his 40's! (ear...)
As for your backside... :)
As the Owner of Pixxil Photography and www.pixxil.com I have to take exception to your portrail of my site.
It was never "a Melbourne street art site where graffitti artists show off their artistic talents".
It was, as the site clearly stated, a website by Robb Duncan, a Documentary Photographer working on a "Melbourne Street Art Documentary".
All the images were captured by me, and were displayed on www.pixxil.com to showcase MY talent as a photographer.
And as for "Google adwords appeared to be the only commercial invasion on Pixxil until you delve further into the site and find the underlying advertising"...
WTF? Underlying Advertising? where?
And the Google Adwords were only there to help pay for the hosting costs and the fact that I was shooting 500+ images a week and travelling all over Melbourne City.
I admitt, your post shows some good writing, but honestly...
Anyhow, now the site features my Wedding Photography Business, making any points you made with regard to it... well.. kinda pointless.
But all in all, some good writing, Cheers and have a good day!
Robb Duncan
Owner of Pixxil Photography
http://www.pixxil.com
Hi Robb,
I’ve just taken a nostalgic trip back to my blog (which btw was done as a uni assignment) to discover your comment.
I’m not sure you will even remember making it, but I just want to say that I have revisited your site and yes, agreed, my post is obviously now moot in point.
However, at the time I investigated your site Pixxil, it was certainly chock-a-block full of advertising material in pop-up form (perhaps a hackers infiltration?).
I vividly remember the frustration of this material being counter-productive to the exploration and enjoyment of your site.
Anyway, apologies to you for any offence caused and I will remove the reference to your site.
Regards,
Karen
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