Since the ‘60s, Americans have been at the mercy of their adolescents. The youth culture, generally defined as “young adults considered as a social class or subculture,” underlines American culture, from the clothes we wear to the cars we drive. Unquestionably, many peculiar trends have been spawned by youth culture.
Let’s take a walk back in time and look at the top three things to come from youth culture since the 1960’s.
Coming in at number three is Music Television, known better as MTV. The interactive channel made a splash and a great number of rock artists of the ‘80s and ‘90s became household names almost overnight. Seeds were planted that led to the flourishing of subcultures from grunge all the way to hip-hop.
MTV was initially known for exclusively airing popular music 24/7. Now they get a bad rap for airing reality shows like “16 and Pregnant,” but in the days of “Yo MTV Raps!” MTV was a national powerhouse and the direct voice of inner-city youth.
Next on the list are social media. We all can remember MySpace and older outlets of social media. Mark Zuckerberg eventually replaced Tom and revolutionized the way the world communicated. Due to the ability to reach various target groups, Facebook and Twitter have grown into the major corporations they are today. It is now commonplace to see news anchors and commentators with a Twitter account accompanying their names during a broadcast. Social media are here to stay.
The best thing to come from the youth culture is the experience. Jimi Hendrix and the Experience is absolutely the best thing to come from youth culture since the 1960s. Hendrix is ranked first on the Rolling Stones magazine’s “100 Greatest Guitarists,” and his debut album is third on its “500 Best Albums” lists.
Rage Against the Machines’ Tom Morello writes: “He seamlessly weaves chords and single-note runs together and uses chord voicings that don’t appear in any music book.” This experience, however, is one you will have to go to Electric Ladyland to see.
Brandon White,
Junior Communication Major
