PreparationWhat is youth culture to you?

qComprehensionRead the text, and make notes in your notebook that help you answer these questions: 1. When, where and why did modern youth culture start? 2. What did the young people want? What did they do? 3. What do you think “counterculture” means? 4. What does the text say about subculture? Next, work with a partner and take turns asking and answering the questions above. 5. What kind of impact has globalization had on youth cultures around the world?

What is Youth Culture?Susanne Christensen1,8 ns

Modern youth culture emerged in the United States in the 1950s and gradually spread to Europe. Before the Second World War, there had been no such thing as “teenagers”.

Children went from childhood to adulthood, and once they finished school they entered the job market and soon got married. But in the 1950s, books, TV shows and music about and for teenagers saw the light of day, and young people started to “hang out” after school and go to Saturday night parties – social events that often included smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol and casual sexual activities.

Suddenly “teenagers” had become visible in society, and they quickly found a new confidence in themselves. They wanted to voice their opinions and to be heard, and they turned their backs on the norms and expectations of their parents’ generation. Instead, they had a zest for life.

These first steps of teenage rebellion not only challenged the established cultural norms and values of society but also the authority of parents, teachers and politicians. The young generation had started to reject the way their parents lived and worked, and as the need to show their dissatisfaction steadily grew, a teenage and youth counterculture emerged. A counterculture to which protest movements and music became important means of expression.

As a result of this new rebellious counterculture, various subcultures were born, each with its own distinct features and ideals. In a similar way, new subcultures continue to appear on the global scene today, and just as the hippies of the 1960s were easily recognisable with their long hair and tie-dyedclothing and beads, present day hip-hoppers stand out with their oversized hoodies and baggy pants.

Nowadays globalisation and enhanced technology have helped break down the barriers of difference between cultures, which means that youth culture in Glasgow, Scotland, is fairly similar to the youth culture you find in Sydney, Australia. However, although globalisation makes us more and more alike, there are still differences in national youth cultures around the world.

However, national youth cultures are also determined by factors like access to the internet, local tastes in styles of music and clothing, traditions and religion as well as a country’s economic resources. This is especially the case in the poorer parts of the world. For instance, young people in India are much like their peers in the western world: they more or less dress the same, and they use the same electronic devices, but even though some young people listen to American and European music, most still prefer Indian music. It takes time for characteristics of international youth cultures to become rooted in local youth cultures - and maybe it is a good thing that we are not all the same. Yet.

Modern youth culture emerged in the United States in the 1950s and gradually spread to Europe. Before the Second World War, there had been no such thing as “teenagers”. Children went from childhood to adulthood, and once they finished school they entered the job market and soon got married. But in the 1950s, books, TV shows and music about and for teenagers saw the light of day, and young people started to “hang out”

after school and go to Saturday night parties – social events that often included smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol and casual sexual activities.

Suddenly “teenagers” had become visible in society, and they quickly found a new confidence in themselves. They wanted to voice their opinions and to be heard, and they turned their backs on the norms and expectations of their parents’ generation. Instead, they had a zest for life.

These first steps of teenage rebellion not only challenged the established cultural norms and values of society but also the authority of parents, teachers and politicians. The young generation had started to reject the way their parents lived and worked, and as the need to show their dissatisfaction steadily grew, a teenage and youth counterculture emerged. A counterculture to which protest movements and music became important means of expression.

As a result of this new rebellious counterculture, various subcultures were born, each with its own distinct features and ideals. In a similar way, new subcultures continue to appear on the global scene today, and just as the hippies of the 1960s were easily recognisable with their long hair and tie-dyedclothing and beads, present day hip-hoppers stand out with their oversized hoodies and baggy pants.

Nowadays globalisation and enhanced technology have helped break down the barriers of difference between cultures, which means that youth culture in Glasgow, Scotland, is fairly similar to the youth culture you find in Sydney, Australia. However, although globalisation makes us more and more alike, there are still differences in national youth cultures around the world.

However, national youth cultures are also determined by factors like access to the internet, local tastes in styles of music and clothing, traditions and religion as well as a country’s economic resources. This is especially the case in the poorer parts of the world. For instance, young people in India are much like their peers in the western world: they more or less dress the same, and they use the same electronic devices, but even though some young people listen to American and European music, most still prefer Indian music. It takes time for characteristics of international youth cultures to become rooted in local youth cultures - and maybe it is a good thing that we are not all the same. Yet.

Discussion Find your phone – record your answer and share it with me

Discuss the differences between youth cultures in different parts of the world. Do you think there are any differences between young people in the western world? Are young people different in the USA and Australia from how they are in Denmark? If so, how? And do you think they may be different from young people in Asia? Or in the Middle East? In which ways?

In your discussion, you should think about the effect of things like traditions, religion, gender roles, globalisation and technology, etc.

Clothes and music are not the only means of expression and individuality. Since the birth of modern youth culture, young people have searched for identity. They have all found different ways to express themselves, and experimentation with looks, for example, is considered part of becoming an adult today.

Branded for LifeSusanne Christensen2,6 ns

In the early 1980s, punks used their Mohawks and ripped clothes to express themselves, just as many teenagers in the early 1990s wore flannel shirts and torn jeans to show that they were part of the grunge movement. But in the 1990s, another way to express individuality became increasingly popular among young people: piercings and tattoos.

Piercings and tattoos, however, were not a new phenomenon. One of the earliest examples of body decoration was found on Ötzi the Iceman, a 5,000-year-old mummy found on an Austrian glacier. He had several tattoos on his body, and his ears were pierced. In a similar manner, Roman men would pierce their nipples as a symbol of strength and virility, and Japanese criminals would get a mark tattooed on their foreheads to remind them of their crimes. But in the 1990s, many young people started to voluntarily brand their bodies – and body art became one of the characteristics of the decade.

Claire Anderson was a teenager in the 90s, and it did not take long before she too was hooked on body art. “When I was 14, I had my lip pierced. I really looked up to one of my friends, who was a little older than me, and she looked so cool with her lip piercing, so obviously I had to get one,” says Claire. Since then she has had her tongue, bellybutton, nose and eyebrow pierced, and she loves every single one of them. To Claire, ear piercings do not count as real piercings, although she has five earrings in each ear. “When I had my lip pierced, it was really to keep up with the Joneses so to speak. I didn’t think much about it, but it was different with the other piercings and especially

my tattoos. I got my first tattoo in 1996 when I was 17. I had thought about it for a while, and one day I just went to the bank, withdrew my savings and went straight to the tattoo parlour. I knew exactly what I wanted: a four-leaf clover,” says Claire. The clover is a symbol of her family, and the four leaves symbolise her mother, father, younger brother and herself. “I love my family, and they are always very supportive of everything I do,” she says. But her parents were not too enthusiastic about the first piercings and tattoos. “They thought I was too young to think about the consequences, that I would regret my piercings and tattoos later in life, but they accepted the fact that I really liked this kind of body art. I didn’t do it because of rebellion; I just think it is a great way of having an individual look. What they did ask me to do, though, was to make sure I didn’t go to a seedy place where they might reuse the piercing or tattooing needles,” Claire explains.

But Clare’s piercings and tattoos are not always met with acceptance by the people around her. “People always have an opinion about me, even when they don’t know me at all,” Claire explains. “I always feel like I have to make an effort and be more friendly and charismatic when I meet new people. I feel like I have to be really bubbly and smile a lot, it’s hard work,” Claire says with a big grin on her face.

When asked why she continues to brand her body, Claire doesn’t hesitate: “It’s like an adrenalin rush every time a get a new one. I have just had this “sleeve” completed and it was like having a birthday twice in one year,” she says and points to her arm which is completely covered with colourful tattoos. “I know I am branded for life, but it is my body, and ultimately it is my choice what I want to do with it.”

In the early 1980s, punks used their Mohawks and ripped clothes to express themselves, just as many teenagers in the early 1990s wore flannel shirts and torn jeans to show that they were part of the grunge movement. But in the 1990s, another way to express individuality became increasingly popular among young people: piercings and tattoos.

Piercings and tattoos, however, were not a new phenomenon. One of the earliest examples of body decoration was found on Ötzi the Iceman, a 5,000-year-old mummy found on an Austrian glacier. He had several tattoos on his body, and his ears were pierced. In a similar manner, Roman men would pierce their nipples as a symbol of strength and virility, and Japanese criminals would get a mark tattooed on their foreheads to remind them of their crimes. But in the 1990s, many young people started to voluntarily brand their bodies – and body art became one of the characteristics of the decade.

Claire Anderson was a teenager in the 90s, and it did not take long before she too was hooked on body art. “When I was 14, I had my lip pierced. I really looked up to one of my friends, who was a little older than me, and she looked so cool with her lip piercing, so obviously I had to get one,” says Claire. Since then she has had her tongue, bellybutton, nose and eyebrow pierced, and she loves every single one of them. To Claire, ear piercings do not count as real piercings, although she has five earrings in each

ear. “When I had my lip pierced, it was really to keep up with the Joneses so to speak. I didn’t think much about it, but it was different with the other piercings and especially my tattoos. I got my first tattoo in 1996 when I was 17. I had thought about it for a while, and one day I just went to the bank, withdrew my savings and went straight to the tattoo parlour. I knew exactly what I wanted: a four-leaf clover,” says Claire. The clover is a symbol of her family, and the four leaves symbolise her mother, father, younger brother and herself. “I love my family, and they are always very supportive of everything I do,” she says. But her parents were not too enthusiastic about the first piercings and tattoos. “They thought I was too young to think about the consequences, that I would regret my piercings and tattoos later in life, but they accepted the fact that I really liked this kind of body art. I didn’t do it because of rebellion; I just think it is a great way of having an individual look. What they did ask me to do, though, was to make sure I didn’t go to a seedy place where they might reuse the piercing or tattooing needles,” Claire explains.

But Clare’s piercings and tattoos are not always met with acceptance by the people around her. “People always have an opinion about me, even when they don’t know me at all,” Claire explains. “I always feel like I have to make an effort and be more friendly and charismatic when I meet new people. I feel like I have to be really bubbly and smile a lot, it’s hard work,” Claire says with a big grin on her face.

When asked why she continues to brand her body, Claire doesn’t hesitate: “It’s like an adrenalin rush every time a get a new one. I have just had this “sleeve” completed and it was like having a birthday twice in one year,” she says and points to her arm which is completely covered with colourful tattoos. “I know I am branded for life, but it is my body, and ultimately it is my choice what I want to do with it.”

oComprehension and discussionSum up the main points of the article, and discuss these questions: Write your answers in a document and share it with me

1. Do you understand Claire’s reasons for getting piercings and tattoos? 2. Do you understand her parents’ reaction? 3. Are piercings and tattoos “body art”? Give reasons for your opinion. 4. Would you ever consider getting a tattoo or a piercing? Explain why/why not.

Remember to give reasons and examples to support your point of view.

“Besat af tatoveringer”I skal gå ind på "Mine materialer" på mitCFU.dk, som har adressen: http://mitCFU.dk/mm

Her skal I se dokumentaren “Besat af tatoveringer”Mundtlig opgave:Optag jer selv på en lydfil og send det på office365. Præsentationen skal vare 3min og selvfølgelig være på engelsk.

“Self-expression is usually a short-lived phase. When teens become older and wiser, they don’t have the need to dye their hair, wear outrageous clothes or brand different body parts.”

Answer whether you agree or disagree with the Statement and why?

Select 2 of the characters from “besat af tatoveringer” and present them, consider why they get tattoos and what relationship they have with them.

Derma commercial - Dermacol Waterproof Make-up Cover - Zombie Boy Tattoo Cover Up

Watch this commercial from Derma https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhKy5xHYoMI

Answer these questions, record your answers on your phone or write it in your document

Use the AIDA – model to explain the commercial

o How does the commercial create Awareness, interest, desire and action?

o Do you like the commercial, and do you think it works?

VocabularyWrite down all the words you associate with self-promotion. Then write your own definition of the word.

The Need for Self-promotionSusanne Christensen2,3 ns

“Do today’s teenagers use social networks as a way of self-promotion?” This was the assignment I had been asked to do in my Communication & Media class. I thought about it for a moment. Self-promotion. Do we self-promote ourselves? I didn’t think so. Well, I am a frequent user of Facebook and Twitter, and I do upload quite a lot of photos on flickr.com, but this is mainly because of my interest in photography. Obviously, an “I don’t think so” answer wouldn’t give me a pass, and so – once again – I turned to Google for help.

I quickly found several surveys and studies on the subject, and as the good student I usually am, I buried myself in articles. However, I was rather surprised when I came

across a study that stated: “People with many Facebook friends, who tag themselves in photos and update their status throughout the day are more likely to have narcissistic traits.” But this is me! I have tonnes of Facebook friends, I always tag myself in photos, and I update my status 24/7 – also on Twitter. So am I “likely” to have a narcissistic personality? What a load of rubbish! If my Facebook behaviour makes me a narcissist, then my entire generation is narcissistic because this is what we do on Facebook.

Still rather baffled I continued my research that unfortunately didn’t take the twist I had hoped for. Survey after survey and study after study all seemed to conclude the same things: Facebook is a gateway for hundreds of shallow relationships; narcissists show more activity on Facebook, and this activity is more self-promotional and superficial compared to the average user; narcissists use Facebook the same way they use other relationships – for self-promotion with an emphasis on quantity over quality. There was even a study that claimed to show the difference between male and female narcissists: male narcissists are supposedly more self-promotional in their “About Me” description and use it to highlight their intelligence and wit, whereas female narcissists have a tendency to upload attractive photos of themselves.

Never before had I questioned my behaviour on social networks, but my research claimed that I was a narcissist. I felt defeated. Beaten. Apparently Facebook and Twitter inflate my ego. I suddenly remembered the Greek myth about Narcissus, the beautiful young man whom so many adored. One day, however, Narcissus stopped for a drink at a small pond, and when he saw his own reflection in the water, he fell hopelessly in love—with himself. Unable to capture his reflection, Narcissus stayed by the pond until he starved to death.

I was still unable to relate Narcissus’ narcissistic nature to myself. I’m not as self-centred and self-absorbed as he was. I logged on to my Facebook account and went straight to the “About Me” section. I was relieved to see that this section actually showed very little information about me. I must admit I have quite a few photo albums, but most photos captured nice memories and moments with friends and family, and others were photos related to my photography interest. Was this a narcissistic trait? Hell no! I am proud of my photos, and it makes me glad that others find them interesting too. I’ll go as far as to say that my photo albums and excessive number of updates could be seen as unconscious self-promotion, but I’m, by far, miles apart from dear old Narcissus, whose selfish actions were results of his love for himself.

I instantly knew how I was going to answer the essay. I may have a need for self-promotion, but I am not the attention-seeking narcissist that the studies suggested I was.

“Do today’s teenagers use social networks as a way of self-promotion?” This was the assignment I had been asked to do in my Communication & Media class. I thought about it for a moment. Self-promotion. Do we self-promote ourselves? I didn’t think so. Well, I am a frequent user of Facebook and Twitter, and I do upload quite a lot of photos on

flickr.com, but this is mainly because of my interest in photography. Obviously, an “I don’t think so” answer wouldn’t give me a pass, and so – once again – I turned to Google for help.

I quickly found several surveys and studies on the subject, and as the good student I usually am, I buried myself in articles. However, I was rather surprised when I came across a study that stated: “People with many Facebook friends, who tag themselves in photos and update their status throughout the day are more likely to have narcissistic traits.” But this is me! I have tonnes of Facebook friends, I always tag myself in photos, and I update my status 24/7 – also on Twitter. So am I “likely” to have a narcissistic personality? What a load of rubbish! If my Facebook behaviour makes me a narcissist, then my entire generation is narcissistic because this is what we do on Facebook.

Still rather baffled I continued my research that unfortunately didn’t take the twist I had hoped for. Survey after survey and study after study all seemed to conclude the same things: Facebook is a gateway for hundreds of shallow relationships; narcissists show more activity on Facebook, and this activity is more self-promotional and superficial compared to the average user; narcissists use Facebook the same way they use other relationships – for self-promotion with an emphasis on quantity over quality. There was even a study that claimed to show the difference between male and female narcissists: male narcissists are supposedly more self-promotional in their “About Me” description and use it to highlight their intelligence and wit, whereas female narcissists have a tendency to upload attractive photos of themselves.

Never before had I questioned my behaviour on social networks, but my research claimed that I was a narcissist. I felt defeated. Beaten. Apparently Facebook and Twitter inflate my ego. I suddenly remembered the Greek myth about Narcissus, the beautiful young man whom so many adored. One day, however, Narcissus stopped for a drink at a small pond, and when he saw his own reflection in the water, he fell hopelessly in love—with himself. Unable to capture his reflection, Narcissus stayed by the pond until he starved to death.

I was still unable to relate Narcissus’ narcissistic nature to myself. I’m not as self-centred and self-absorbed as he was. I logged on to my Facebook account and went straight to the “About Me” section. I was relieved to see that this section actually showed very little information about me. I must admit I have quite a few photo albums, but most photos captured nice memories and moments with friends and family, and others were photos related to my photography interest. Was this a narcissistic trait? Hell no! I am proud of my photos, and it makes me glad that others find them interesting too. I’ll go as far as to say that my photo albums and excessive number of updates could be seen as unconscious self-promotion, but I’m, by far, miles apart from dear old Narcissus, whose selfish actions were results of his love for himself.

I instantly knew how I was going to answer the essay. I may have a need for self-promotion, but I am not the attention-seeking narcissist that the studies suggested I was.

Læs mindre

oComprehension and discussion - anwser the questions in your document that you shared with me

1. Why is the teenager surprised about his research? What does he find out? 2. How would you describe his behaviour on social networks? What does he do, and why does he use these networks? 3. Who was Narcissus? And why is he important? 4. Do you agree with his conclusion about self-promotion? Explain why/why not.Give examples from the text to support your answers.

pPresentation - record in on your phone and send your recording to meRead the story about Narcissus, and make a presentation in which you include: https://www.greekmyths-greekmythology.com/narcissus-myth-echo/

A brief summary of the story What are the themes of the story? Why do you think Echo does not fall out of love with Narcissus in spite of being

rejected? Do you think that death was the only outcome for Narcissus? In other versions of the myth, Narcissus commits suicide. Does this change your

understanding of the story? Which ending do you prefer and why? Have you ever felt the same way as either Echo or Narcissus? Discuss the statement:

“Today’s adolescents are self-centred exhibitionists and narcissists that promote themselves on Facebook and reality shows.”

q

Written workWrite an essay entitled “Do today’s teenagers use social networks as a way of self-promotion?” You can use the text "The need for self-promotion" or other texts from this topic as inspiration.

Learn more about essays in the GenreUniverse.Write about 350-450 words.