Is teen culture an immature subculture or the beginning of a distinct identity?

While many adults view teenage youth culture as an immature subculture, opponents argue that it has its own identity and possibilities. Teen behavior, such as street culture, can be interpreted as an attempt to create their own new social order.

 

Many adults tend to think that teenage youth culture has the characteristics of a subculture and is immature compared to adult culture. Whereas adult culture is conforming to productive labor practices and taking responsibility, teen culture is consumption-obsessed, pleasure-seeking, and irresponsible in its rejection of established values. This is a common perception among adults, and it stems from an attitude that sees youth culture as merely an immature version of adult culture. They see teenagers as being on the fringes and needing to be brought back into the mainstream.
On the other hand, opponents of this idea argue that teens are independent beings who live by their own principles and order, and their culture should be seen as a possibility. Instead of comparing teen culture to adult culture, they argue that it should be honored on its own merits. They emphasize that even if teens don’t conform to the norms and standards of adult society, this may be natural for their stage of life. Teen culture is not just rebellion or deviance, but part of the process of creating a new social order.
This disagreement over teen culture stems from differing views on whether teenagers can have a culture of their own and whether they can form a collective identity that is acceptable to society. While adults tend to devalue youth culture as transient and fluid, the possibility that their cultural experimentation could lead to social change in the future cannot be ignored.
At the moment, it seems too early to say that teen culture is unique. However, there are meaningful attempts to create their own culture within the behavior of teenagers. One of them is street culture. Street culture is important because it provides a space for teens to break away from their daily routines and express themselves freely. They gain experiences on the streets that they don’t have at school or at home, and they form their own unique culture.
The street culture of teens is rooted in the life they lead on the streets. While most teens spend much of their time at home and school, their free time is spent walking, meeting, playing, and spending in the space of the street. Streets aren’t just sidewalks or streets traveled by cars. The street is used as a spatial concept that includes plazas and parks, places to eat and drink, places to sing or play games together, and places where performances and cultural and artistic activities take place. These places are more than just places of leisure for young people, they are important places for them to explore their identity and bond with their peers.
While academic pressures leave little time for leisure, teens often take to the streets with their friends after school, on weekends, and on days when exams are over. However, no single purpose seems to determine their behavior. Whether they’re hanging out at fast food joints, PC shops, karaoke bars, or concert venues, their behavior seems to have no particular purpose. Teens meet up with friends, wander around, look at things, laugh and talk, buy food at a convenience store or fast food restaurant, and then hit the streets again.
Why do teens wander the streets so aimlessly? Or, to put it more positively, aren’t they taking to the streets to escape the confines of school or home? They’re looking for something. More than just a way to pass the time or spend money, the street experience may be an expression of an instinctive need to find their own identity. In the streets, where teenagers congregate, they may feel a temporary sense of liberation and even a sense of solidarity and belonging as peers of similar age and dress congregate and disperse.
The question is whether these experiences contribute to the formation of a desirable cultural identity. It is unfortunate that the bonds that are being forged in street culture are still temporary. Their culture is still tied to the context of the street. The longer this situation continues, the more teens will only see street culture as a consumer culture. However, street culture can also be an important way for teens to create their own space and connect with society. This is why we should approach teenage street culture from a supportive and enabling perspective, rather than one of discipline or control.