Same activities, different meanings: British youth cultures in the 1990s

Abstract

This paper recognizes that there have been important changes in British youth cultures in recent years but argues that, contrary to claims that have been made in debates about a postmodern condition, the changes do not include leisure or consumption based lifestyles now acting as foundations for identity formation. Since the 1970s youth has been prolonged, young people's experiences have been individualized, their futures have become less certain, and all the steps that they can take towards adulthood have become more risky. These broader changes are related to trends in young people's leisure; a wider age span is involved in present-day youth scenes; gender and social class differences have blurred; tastes and styles have splintered and leisure activities are now more likely to form their own groups rather than attract pre-existent groups of young people. However, these are all trends, not absolute states, and the main systematic differences in leisure practices are still linked to the old predictors. Lifestyle formation is still normally within social class, ethnic and gender groups. Young people's core self-concepts retain familiar bases in gender, family, ethnic and educational backgrounds, and experiences in the labour market. Leisure pursuits affect how young (and older) people feel about themselves and add fine detail to their social identities but do not tell them or others who they basically are. It is argued that present-day leisure has become even less equipped than formerly to support identity formation and that, in any case, leisure is prohibited from assuming such a role by its own core functions.