The Influence of Pop Culture on the Youth

We are living in an inviting, persuasive world that includes the globalised perception of everything. From the food we eat, fashion, music, media, and the list goes on. We are living in the 21st century and everything we do revolves around these things.

How does pop culture influence the youth of Namibia in their daily lives?For some, popular culture is an area of exploration used to confront their fears and be accepted. I believe there’s a reason for diversity and that is perhaps to bring awareness to loving ourselves instead of being a part of the crowd. Nowadays, many young people own the latest gadgets and life seems to be busier than ever. Have we found our identities in these gadgets and constant busyness?The majority of young people struggle to keep up with all the changes in trends and fashion. Once they are part of these trends, they often can’t stop and simply go with the flow. All have fallen victim and there seems to be no way out. Humans are social beings who want to be accepted, young people even more so. Often finding those with common interests help youngsters to feel at ease. Many young people turn to popular culture to find answers and guidance as to how to shape their lives, which influences the generations still to come. Everyday, everything is flashing so fast and becoming so interesting, attractive and complicated for some which is a difficult way to live. How does one makes decisions without changing too much and being left out of the rapid growth of pop-culture?Everyone tries to be better than others, they compete over who has the latest cellphone or the best designer shoes and in the end they lose their confidence because they can’t maintain such constantly high and changing standards. These items are expensive and if young people or their parents can’t afford them, they feel left of of the in crowd. Young people are not a problem simply because they are young, self-assertive and impartial. Parents should make it their duty to advise young people and help shape them so that they can get a good start in life. I do not argue for or against popular culture, I simply want to start a discussion about the way we as young people live today. With all our leisure time and more money to spend than ever before, traditional and community values are being lost. Those who lead the popular crowd have more influence than ever before and sometimes these influences drive a wedge between young people and their parents. Young people have brilliant minds, they should use these to look at their lives critically. Anna Bianco is a graduate from The College of the Arts (Cota) in Media Arts Technology Studies. She is from the Kavango Region.

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