Is alternative youth culture dead?

Is there such a thing as ‘alternative youth culture’? In today’s society conforming to any social group or scene no matter how alternate it was once considered, could now be seen as mainstream.

For example, when you walk into your local music store, be it Sanity, JB Hi-Fi or other similar chain stores, how much of the store is dedicated to so called ‘alternate music’. For example when browsing at music chain stores online purchasing systems music which was once considered alternative is now under drop down menus such as ‘chart albums’.

It has been said that youth culture had fragmented into many scenes, and belonging to each scene meant wearing its clothes and buying its records – it was not enough simply to be in the age bracket. In the late 1970s and early 1980s the following were considered alternative:
-Tattoos
-Body piercing
-Unnatural hair colouring
-Drug taking
-New romantic era (men wearing make up)

If we ran through that list today in the year 2007, in any suburban high school or university, the majority of youth would be considered by at least one of the above criteria to be alternative, if not more. This being said, not only would youth be considered alternate but many other individuals no matter what age group they belonged to could be considered alternative. In developed western countries of today such as Australia and America it is more uncommon or ‘alternate’ not to have body piercings of some description, tattoos or unnatural hair colouring. Academics believe that body piercing and tattooing can no longer be considered deviant or a form of self expression.

Drug taking today is also a common occurrence, according to Australian Youth Facts and Stats (http://www.youthfacts.com.au/), in the year 2004 Australian teenagers’ substance of choice was alcohol, with 46% of boys and 40% of girls reporting they had drunk alcohol in the past month.

In 2003, in individuals aged 14 to 17 years:
- 21% had used marijuana/cannabis
- 4% had used amphetamines
- 3% had used ecstasy/designer drugs

It has been argued that alternative Eculture is made up of the following:
- Blogging
- Culture jamming
- Mobile phones
- Independent documentary makers

In 2004, a study of 258 adolescents in Years 7 to 12 found that 83% currently had a mobile phone, with only 17% not having one. The majority of those who partook in the study were first given a mobile phone at age 13 – 14 (57%). Of those without a mobile phone, 47% felt ‘left out of the social interactions’ and 33% ‘sometimes felt pressured to get a mobile phone’. For those without a mobile phone, the main reason adolescents gave was that their parents would not let them (46%). This alone shows how the alternative youth culture may be long dead.