YOUTH AS THE SUBJECT OF VANDAL ACTIVITY IN THE GRAFFITI SUBCULTURE

Abstract

This article attempts a theoretical analysis of youth vandalism. It reveals the psycho - social features of this age group, considers vandal practices (graffiti) in accordance with the characteristics of young people and analyzes the dependence of reflection on socio - cultural processes and the activity of creative destructive self - expression of the young generation. The study has an interdisciplinary focus, examines the issues of graffiti in the youth environment from the point of view of sociology, cultural studies, psychology, and philosophy. The article analyzes the dual status of graffiti, which is located on the border between art and a specific form of destructive behavior. This aspect is expressed in the peculiar features of psycho - pedagogical, social, and cultural development of the demographic group. A typology of graffiti based on the analysis of specific objects in the city of Ekaterinburg is carried out by the authors. It is noted that the urban environment is a symbolic space that serves as a means of formation of the worldview of young people, as well as an object of artistic practices. Special attention is paid to the duality of the impact of vandal art practices in the city space: the novelty of socio - cultural processes depends on the creativity of changing the environment and the ability to interpret it. The authors use a broad research methodology: analysis and synthesis of information, typological method, semiotic analysis, and structural - functional approach.