Youth – Changes, consumption,Globalisation and

Risk.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3gEFwQo_7k

How have the lives of young people changed over the past 60 years?Education and employment and qualificationsGender behaviour and sexual behaviourChoice of consumer goodsDifferent media content and exposureExclusion from politicsLater separation from parents due to house

prices, debt, Risks – Violence, drugs, STDs, pregnancy,

unemployment, mental health e.g eating disorders.

ConsumerismConsumerism is a social and

economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods or services in even greater amounts.

GlobalisationGlobalization describes the process by

which regional economies, societies, and cultures have become integrated through a global network of communication, transportation, and trade. The term can also refer to the transnational circulation of ideas, languages, or popular culture through acculturation. An aspect of the world which has gone through the process can be said to be globalized.

SNOWBALLSUse your Sociological imagination and say

one thing about how consumerism or globalisation has affected young people as a social group.

Throw your snowballPick up a snowball and add a point to itRepeat

ConsumptionAs we already know consumerism played a big role

in the development of youth culture in post-war Britain.

Young people are attracted to things which are new and different from their ‘same old, same old’ parent’s culture.

Clothes, Music, hairstyles, leisure etc – if they can’t buy it they will create it, like the Punks style.

Eventually INCORPORATION will ensure similar products are produced in the mass market – because it makes money.

ConsumptionCompanies can target them to buy their

products and therefore the identity of young people is becoming more about having the right stuff than about issues like class, gender or ethnicity.

Since the 1950s more and more products have been targeted at young people, BUT children and adults are also attracted to these things.

What stuff do you think it is necessary to have ??

GlobalisationGlobalisation means that young people have

more choice of what to buy. We export products from across the globe so that you can create new fashions and styles.

However perhaps products are also becoming homogenised e.g coca cola is global and may have pushed out other drinks which were traditional like iced tea ! From this perspective young people have become more similar across the world.

Can you think of other examples of this ??

Here are some !!Coca ColaTrainersBaseball capsJeansNightclubs/discosFootballMobile phonesIpodsMcDonalds

Essay planningDiscuss the influence of consumerism on

youth culture (30 marks).Write down 4-5 AO1 points that you could

make.Write down examples to support each point.Think of researchers you could mentionThink of any counterarguments to your points

or further analyses you could make.

Possible essay – Discuss the view that youth cultures are based on consumerism Ao1 Ao2 Youth culture only came about in the

50s because of products being targeted at young people e.g dress/music

Young people are attracted to novel things so are encouraged to buy more e.g iphones

Styles created by spectacular youth cultures have been incorporated in mainstream youth culture and influences styles. E.g punky clothes

Bennett argues that youth no longer form sub-cultures but are influenced by need for leisure and consumer goods forming instead ‘Neo Tribes’ e.g Cod players – relies on companies making and selling these products.

Functionalist like Parsons argued that it was a need for a rite of passage that influenced youth cultures

Marxists would argue it was resistance to capitalism that led to sub-cultures like skinhead and that consumerism has led to the exploitation of young people for the benefit of the bourgoiesie.

Consumerism has caused status frustration amongst today’s youth.

Neo-tribes argument ignores the fact that sub-cultures still form around associations based on gender, ethnicity and social class.

Timed essay - Discuss the influence of consumerism on youth culture (30 Marks)

Ao1 Ao2 Define consumerism and youth

culture Post War increased

affluence/spending power/products aimed at youth

Globalisation led to increased choice (supermarket of style) Polemus – blending of ethnic styles/Bennett - Neo Tribes

Increased affluence and middle class attitudes leads to development of Hippies and Skinheads.

Sewell argues that black caribbean culture is very materialist (bling) and has influenced white youths in the uk (possible cause of London Riots)

With concerns over sustainability consumerism is the new ‘folk devil’

Marxists - Many youth still poor and working-class/cannot afford styles

Some would argue this has led to less choice (Mcdonaldisation) and pressure to conform to youth ideals i.e. eating disorders caused by media. Some sub-cultures are still class/gender/ethnicity based

Whilst these sub-cultures were spectacular and possible forms of resistance against capitalism, most young people were ordinary.

Risk BehaviourIREFREA 2010 research into alcohol & drug consumption

in young tourists participating in recreational nightlife. Participant countries: Germany (Berlin), Spain (Mallorca

and Ibiza islands) and UK (Liverpool). 3000 young people surveyed.

Research suggests that young people are more reckless and willing to take risks than older people.

Risk associated with NightlifeHegemonic Recreational Nightlife Model (HRNM) and its principal characteristics are:

Spreads very quickly Its presence makes difficult the existence of other

models of entertainment Alcohol and other illegal drugs are used as a

frequent tool (fast-leasure, fast-pleasure) There are risks for health and security (drugs use,

sex, drive ing, violence)

Gender differencesin risk behaviours

Gender differences in

alcohol

Use of alcohol X Gender

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Never,once orexuser

1-3 times amonth

Once aw eek

> 2 times aw eek

Consumption frequency

% c

ases Male

Female

1 Females show significant higher levels of occasional consumption (1-3 times a month)

2 Similar levels for weekly consumption

3 Males show higher levels in frequent consumption

1 2

3

Gender differences in

Illegal Drugs

Gender differencesin risk behaviours

CANNABIS

Use of cannabis X Gender

05

10152025303540

Never,once orexuser

1-3 times amonth

Once aw eek

> 2 times aw eek

Consumption Frequency

% c

ases Male

Female

1 Women show higher % of abstinence

2 Men show higher % of frequent consumption

1

2

COCAINE

Use of cocaine X Gender

010

2030

4050

Never,once orexuser

1-3 times amonth

Once aw eek

> 2 times aw eek

Consumption Frequency

% c

ases Males

Females

ViolenceScientific evidence shows a relationship between

recreational nightlife, alcohol & drug consumption and violent behaviour:

Therefore higher rates of alcohol and drug consumption may also explain higher rates of violence in males.

However there is a strong link between misuse and violence for both genders

Gender differencesin risk behaviours

Violence

Violent Behaviour X Gender

0,00%

5,00%

10,00%

15,00%

20,00%

25,00%

30,00%

carry a gun/knife whilegoing out

someonethreatened/injured you

with a weapon

you were on a physicalfight in club

environments

% c

ases Male

Female

Significant higher levels for the 3 behaviours in men

(except in cities of Brno & Berlin)

Gender differences in

Risky driving

Young drivers, especially young male drivers, are much more likely to kill themselves and others in road crashes, compared to older drivers

Using public transport revelead to be a protective factor

Men show significantly higher levels of risky driving behaviour

Men have about 4 times more probability to suffer a traffic crash, but this is probably because they present:

a) Higher levels of alcohol and drug consumption

b) Higher levels of risky driving behaviour

Reasons for rejecting use of public transport by age, gender and North/ South (I)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

14-18 19-21 22-24 25-45 14-18 19-21 22-24 25-45

MALE FEMALE

SUR

There is none where I live Services do not run late enough Prefer to use a car Don't need it It is unsafe Other reason

Driving Gender differences

in risk behaviours

Gender differencesin risk behaviours

Risky Sexual Behaviour

Drugs and Alcohol risks• 20% males and 13% females aged 15-19 say

alcohol was a main reason for first sex• 1 in 10 15-16 year olds have had sex after

drinking that they later regretted• Young people are 3x as likely to have

unprotected sex when drunk• Therefore positive correlation to contraction

of STDs• Anaesthetic effect of drugs and alcohol may

be used to artificially prolong sexual encounters but this is shown to be unhealthy especially for girls.

Youth, Risk and social change Risk Theory (Cieslik and Pollack 2002)Contemporary life has become unpredictable

and full of risks. This may explain problems in youth of today, here are examples:-

Risk of making wrong choices !Get married, don’t – have kids, don’t - go to

uni, don’t ! Will I get divorced? Will I get a job at the end of it?

Should I choose apprentiship, NVQ, A levels – if I get it wrong I may be stuck at with my parents !!!!

Risk continuedYoung people who make wrong choices can

end up homeless, criminalised or stigmatised (teenage pregnancy)

Stress combined with uncertainty leads to an array of problems seen in the young , eating disorders, drugs and suicide.

However some may embrace this uncertainty as meaning they can make their own choices, for example many jobs young people are applying for now did not exist in their parent’s day. (Roberts 1997)

SOCIAL CHANGE - SHIFT HAPPENS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeoKQbT8BKs