Youth subculture

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:42

Modern urban society, mostly multicultural, includes a large number of subcultures, defined in sociology (also in anthropology and cultural studies) as groups of people whose interests and beliefs differ from those of the general culture.

Modern youth subcultures are a combination of cultures of groups of minors, different in styles, interests, behavior, demonstrating rejection of the dominant culture. The identity of each group largely depends on the social class, gender, intelligence, generally accepted traditions of morality, the nationality of its members, is characterized by a preference for a particular musical genre, style of clothing and hairstyles, gatherings in some places, the use of jargon - that which forms the symbolism and values. But it should be noted that today each group is not characterized by a strict identity, it can change, in other words, facesfreely move from one group to another, various elements from different subcultures are mixed, in contrast to the classic separate categories.

Youth subculture can be defined as a way of life and way of expressing it, developed in groups. A major theme in her sociology is the relationship between social class and everyday experience. So, in the work of the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, it is said that the main factor influencing the nature of the group is the social environment - the occupation of parents and the level of education that they can give their children.

There are many studies and theories regarding the development of these cultures, including the concept of moral decline. Some historians argue that until about 1955, the youth subculture as such did not exist. Before the Second World War, young people who were called exclusively children until they came of age, at least in Western society, had very little freedom and no influence.

The concept of "teenager" has its origins in America. One of the reasons for the emergence of youth groups is the increase in the culture of consumption. Throughout the 1950s, a growing number of young people began to influence fashion, music, television, and film. The youth subculture was finally formed in the mid-1950s in the UK, when teddy boys appeared, distinguished by special attention to their appearance (they were replaced in the 1960smods came) and rockers (or tone up boys) who gave their preference to motorcycles and rock and roll. Many companies adapted to their tastes, developing marketing strategies, creating magazines such as the English music magazine New Musical Express (NME for short), and eventually a television channel - MTV. Fashion shops, discos and other establishments aimed at we althy teenagers were opened. The advertisement promised a new, exciting world for young people through the consumption of the goods and services offered.

However, some historians argue that the youth subculture could have appeared earlier, during the period between the world wars, citing the flapper style as an example. It was the "new breed" of girls in the 1920s. They wore short skirts, cut their hair short, listened to trendy jazz, excessively painted their faces, smoked and drank alcoholic beverages, drove cars, and generally showed disregard for what was considered acceptable behavior.

Today there is no one dominant group. Youth subcultures in modern Russia are mostly forms of Western youth cultures (e.g. emo, goths, hip-hawkers), but are characterized by Russian specifics.