The document summarizes several theories related to youth subcultures and media representations of youth: - Hebdige and Acland discuss how media often only represents youth as either troublesome or fun-loving, failing to show the diversity of youth experiences. This influences how adults perceive youth. - Tajfel and Turner's social identity theory examines how people categorize themselves into in-groups and out-groups, influencing their identities. Youth often form subcultures based on shared interests. - Gauntlett analyzes how media allows for self-identity and expression through user-generated content, shifting from passive to active audiences with new media like the Internet.

1. Dick Hebdige (1979)
Theory:
• Studies British Youth Subcultures (Late 1970’s)
• Focused on the reality of youth cultures
• Subcultures = Youths to express themselves and to challenge hegemony
(mostly through style)
Representation of youth:
• Hebdige argues that the representation of youths is very limited Either shown as trouble or fun, there is no
in between Suggests media representation of youths is not reality
Effects of these representations:
• This would effect the representation of youths dramatically. Due to them either being shown in two different
ways of being trouble or having fun in the media it suggests that we never get to see the good and hard
working teens of society who fade into the background (which is then seen by the media as boring)
Role of media representations in society:
• By looking at this theory we are able to see that the media in society tends to ignore the good representations
of teens and focuses on the negative. This therefore portrays them to adults as all youths behave in this
manner.

2. Gauntlett (2002)
‘How we form our identities using media texts’
• He studied the role of media in self-identity and self expression and
the making and sharing of digital media
Old Media
• The ‘media gods’
• Passive Audience
• ‘Appointment to view’
• Expensive
• Separate platforms
• Centralised
• Wasted time/Cognitive
• Surplus
New Media
• Web 2.0
• User generated
• Cross platforms
• Inexpensive to produce
• Decentralised
• Social
• ‘Making is connecting’
• He proposed in 2008, ‘the Make and Connect agenda’, in an attempt to rethink audience studies in the context of
media users as producers as well as consumers of media material.
• He argues that there is a shift from a ‘sit back and be told culture’ to a ‘making and doing culture’, and that harnessing
creativity in both Web 2.0 and in other everyday creative activities will play a role in tackling environmental problem.

3. Tajfel & Turner (1979)
Theory:
• Becoming a part of different groups and how membership to these groups helps
construct our identities.
• They suggested that people have an inbuilt tendency to categorise themselves into
one or more in-groups, building a part of their identity on the basis of membership
of that group and enforcing boundaries with other groups.
Categorisation:
• The way in which people put others (and ourselves) into categories. We label one
another based on interest, ethnicity, gender, occupation and other factors.
Identification:
• Your collective identity becomes your in-group. This could be your family, a
friendship group or classmates. A group or individual that poses as a threat to your
in-group is called the out-group.
Comparison:
• People compare themselves and their groups with other groups, seeing a
favourable bias towards the group in which they belong. Nowadays, we see youths
dividing themselves into social groups or subcultures based on clothing, music or
other interests.
Henri Tajfel

4. Acland (1995)
Theory:
• Media representations – Delinquent youths = enhance authority
• Done by ideal of ‘Norm’ adult and youth behaviour = contrasts deviant youth behaviour = unacceptable
Representation of youth:
• Media representations of young people = allows state to control them (E.g. ASBO’s)
• This is known as ‘ideology of protection’ Idea that youths need to be constantly watched = Youth is the time
where they learn about social roles/values State needs to confirm these values
Effects of these representations:
• This therefore effects the representations as the adults see youths as being reckless and they have to keep
enforcing that these actions are bad. This is to enforce the hegemony of how they should not behave when it
comes to adulthood. This means that there will be more negative stories in the media
Role of media representations in society:
• From this theory we are able to see that adults believe it is necessary to show youths in such a disastrous way.
This is so they can tell youths how to and how not to act so they can enforce middle class hegemony.