Youth Culture in a Digital World
- Week 1 -
Culture is a group’s distinctive way of life, including its beliefs and values, its
customs, and its art and technologies. It varies by geographical, social and
temporal factors. Youth Culture, in particular, refers to shared beliefs,
behaviors, practices, and values of young people within a particular society or
subculture. It also refers to the ways in which young people express themselves,
interact with one another, and distinguish themselves from older generations. It
is dynamic and can vary significantly across time and place, reflecting the
cultural, social, and historical context in which it emerges.
Key aspects of contemporary youth culture:
-Fashion and style
-Music
-Language
-Social activities
-Values and ideals
-Media & technology (nowadays, specifically digital media and social media)
Digital media can disrupt or enrich traditional communication:
Social presence theory (disruptive): a sense of being together, which is lower
when using digital media to interact.
Social information processing theory (both): how people process and react
to social information. Social media is not just disrupting or enriching, it depends
on the receiver and how they process information.
Channel expansion theory (enriching): users with experience will strive to
develop new and necessary skills.
Digital media can be used as a replacement for or addition to social interaction.
They can be used actively or passively.
Uses and Gratifications theory: what purposes or functions does media offer
for active receivers? According to Lasswell (1948), there are four main reasons to
use media:
-Surveillance of the environment
-Affective need
-Culture transmission
-Entertainment
Sheldon et al. (2017) argue that self-promotion, maintaining existing
relationships, need for creativity, escapism and expressing opinions are also
among the reasons to use media. Different social media sites are used for
different gratifications.
This begs the question: is passively scrolling through Instagram to escape reality
“as bad” as actively engaging in a YouTube community to express your feelings?
Stages of adolescence by age:
Early adolescence – 10-13yr
Middle adolescence – 14-17yr
Late adolescence – 18-24yr
, Developmental tasks approach: developmental tasks/challenges need to be
fulfilled in order to “grow up”. There is a hierarchic list of tasks, met through
biological or social development. Media effects depend on the age of the user.
From ages 2-7, scary media content can cause trauma if perceptually scary. From
ages 7+, conceptually scary content does the same thing. Parents are the main
example for children aged 12 and younger. Influencers become examples from
12 onward.
Risk and resilience approach: there are differential life experiences among
children that help them “grow up”. Risk and protective factors explain differences
between people according to the cumulative risk model. This explains a
snowball effect and turn around models.
Ecological model:
Micro: how do parents monitor and regulate their children’s media use (tracking
screentime, keeping media outside of the bedroom)?
Exo: is school offering classes on online safety and social media policies such as
banning the smartphone from the classroom?
Macro: what do we believe and value regarding social media. Is it entertainment
or dangerous?
Identity Development approach: an identity is, at least in part, an explicit
theory of oneself as a person. Personal identity dimensions include gender,
ethnicity, nationality and online identity. Identity should be constructred during
adolescence through exploration online and offline.
Self image: how young people perceive themselves.
Self-esteem: the ability to appreciate this self-image.
Front stage self-presentation: instagram uploads and other forms of publicly
available information you share.
Backstage self-presentation: direct messaging and other forms of closed off,
informal talk.
- Week 1 -
Culture is a group’s distinctive way of life, including its beliefs and values, its
customs, and its art and technologies. It varies by geographical, social and
temporal factors. Youth Culture, in particular, refers to shared beliefs,
behaviors, practices, and values of young people within a particular society or
subculture. It also refers to the ways in which young people express themselves,
interact with one another, and distinguish themselves from older generations. It
is dynamic and can vary significantly across time and place, reflecting the
cultural, social, and historical context in which it emerges.
Key aspects of contemporary youth culture:
-Fashion and style
-Music
-Language
-Social activities
-Values and ideals
-Media & technology (nowadays, specifically digital media and social media)
Digital media can disrupt or enrich traditional communication:
Social presence theory (disruptive): a sense of being together, which is lower
when using digital media to interact.
Social information processing theory (both): how people process and react
to social information. Social media is not just disrupting or enriching, it depends
on the receiver and how they process information.
Channel expansion theory (enriching): users with experience will strive to
develop new and necessary skills.
Digital media can be used as a replacement for or addition to social interaction.
They can be used actively or passively.
Uses and Gratifications theory: what purposes or functions does media offer
for active receivers? According to Lasswell (1948), there are four main reasons to
use media:
-Surveillance of the environment
-Affective need
-Culture transmission
-Entertainment
Sheldon et al. (2017) argue that self-promotion, maintaining existing
relationships, need for creativity, escapism and expressing opinions are also
among the reasons to use media. Different social media sites are used for
different gratifications.
This begs the question: is passively scrolling through Instagram to escape reality
“as bad” as actively engaging in a YouTube community to express your feelings?
Stages of adolescence by age:
Early adolescence – 10-13yr
Middle adolescence – 14-17yr
Late adolescence – 18-24yr
, Developmental tasks approach: developmental tasks/challenges need to be
fulfilled in order to “grow up”. There is a hierarchic list of tasks, met through
biological or social development. Media effects depend on the age of the user.
From ages 2-7, scary media content can cause trauma if perceptually scary. From
ages 7+, conceptually scary content does the same thing. Parents are the main
example for children aged 12 and younger. Influencers become examples from
12 onward.
Risk and resilience approach: there are differential life experiences among
children that help them “grow up”. Risk and protective factors explain differences
between people according to the cumulative risk model. This explains a
snowball effect and turn around models.
Ecological model:
Micro: how do parents monitor and regulate their children’s media use (tracking
screentime, keeping media outside of the bedroom)?
Exo: is school offering classes on online safety and social media policies such as
banning the smartphone from the classroom?
Macro: what do we believe and value regarding social media. Is it entertainment
or dangerous?
Identity Development approach: an identity is, at least in part, an explicit
theory of oneself as a person. Personal identity dimensions include gender,
ethnicity, nationality and online identity. Identity should be constructred during
adolescence through exploration online and offline.
Self image: how young people perceive themselves.
Self-esteem: the ability to appreciate this self-image.
Front stage self-presentation: instagram uploads and other forms of publicly
available information you share.
Backstage self-presentation: direct messaging and other forms of closed off,
informal talk.
