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Whose Culture is it?
Belgium: Els BAETEN Only a small minority of younger people really belong to one subculture or another (skaters, snobs, Johnny’s and Marina’s, gabbers, goths, alterno’s, punks). By the age of 12-14 a small number move into a subculture in order to belong to a group. Later on (16+) the need to be part of a group becomes less important, with individual characteristics becoming more important than group norms. In general, youngsters don’t like to be ‘labelled’ and describe themselves as ‘normal’ or someone ‘between two styles’. They pick and choose. They also recycle elements of former youth cultures. One of the main current characteristics is the pursuit of authenticity, as a reaction against the ‘fake’ of the 80’s. Fake is considered wrong and outmoded. The most important thing seems to be the search for their own identity, their own profile. (Generation M: Me, Myself and I) Authenticity is also a counterweight to commercialisation (see point 4). Younger people are extremely critical of marketing ploys. Recent youth research confirms the great influence of gender, education and age. Differences in values and preferences are mainly linked with differences in educational level. Education is much the stronger influencing factor, as compared with age. In addition, the education of young people is strongly related to the educational levels and professions of their parents. Preferences are influenced by friends, youth leaders, and the media, but in the first place these derive from the preferences of the parents. Recent research based upon a current survey on preferences in music, radio, television, newspapers, magazines and film, discovered some strikingly close correlations. They found five patterns or orientations: 1. ‘Cultural correctness’: a mixture of ‘good’ entertainment and information. They watch public TV – news and information, debates, political and social films…- and listen to public radio stations. They prefer classic music, folk, world music, jazz, blues… 2. ‘Amusement or fun orientation’: they listen to commercial radio and watch commercial TV channels, especially quiz shows, soaps etc… 3. ‘Macho or virile cultural orientation’: they like action films, science fiction, crime movies, reality television and sports programmes… Their preference is for techno and gabber. 4. ‘Roots dimension’: they like R&B, funk, reggae, rap, raï, world music, folk, but also classical music, French chansons… romantic films, social and psychological films. 5. ‘Alternative orientation’: they listen to rock, grunge, alternative guitar music, punk, hard rock … They prefer cult films, psychological, social and political films… ‘Authenticity’ is important for them. This research also shows that there is a high correlation between the media and music preferences of the youngsters and those of their parents. Some facts Mobiles The majority of young people have a mobile phone, especially from the age of 15 onwards:
Mobile phones are mainly used for SMS:
Internet The Internet is becoming an important aspect of youth activities, especially from the age 11+:
Use of the internet is rapidly increasing: in the period 2001-2003: from 17% to 43 % (9-11 years) and from 50% to 72 % (19-25 years)
Communication on the net: Surfing and looking for information on the internet: Up to the age of 12: 44 %, mainly for games and entertainment (often promoted by TV-stations)
Downloading: about 25 % up to the age of 18, increasing to 49 % (19-25 years): chiefly for games, music and videos or tunes and logos for mobiles.
2.2. Some
general observations
Impact on
society On the one hand, there is a rapidly changing impression, especially because of the market which is always searching for new elements. Trends appear and disappear in rapid succession - as do subcultures. On the other hand, there is a wave-like movement in youth culture(s). For instance, the revival of guitar music and rock and roll, folk music, world music…. Older and unskilled people are noticeably smaller users of the internet, although there seems to be a slight upturn in this trend. There is a lack of research on new technologies and immigrants. Little is known about any European dimension in the process of integration, enlargement. The more global, international dimension appears to be more relevant.
Policy
issues First, an inventory was made of policy documents from the Flemish government, provinces and a selected number of local authorities. In order to analyse these documents some younger people, experts, public servants and politicians were asked to discuss criteria for analysis. The following tensions were put into the picture: - youth culture (and its tendency towards individualisation) and the important impact of social factors on attitudes, preferences and leisure activities; - youth culture and ‘established’ culture; - youth culture and the market; - youth culture and those who have responsibility for youth (youth leaders, teachers etc.). This is the tension between younger people trying to define their own culture and agencies trying to regularise matters; - youth culture and the role of government. In the first Plan for a Youth Policy of the Flemish government (2002) the lack of research and the lack of coordination of research was indicated as a factor to be remedied. To this end, a Platform was set up between several universities (Leuven, Ghent and Brussels) and money has been made available.
Sources __________________¨¨¨¨_________________
Bulgaria: Lidia VARBANOVA and Biliana
TOMOVA
The statistical indicators do not provide updated and relevant information about how youth spends its leisure time. The current survey shows that the following main branches of the entertainment industries account for most of the free time of young people in Bulgaria: - Music - mainly pop and post-folk music; - Cinema; - Internet and e-mail; - Computer games; - New media and multimedia; - Gambling; - Restaurants and bars; - Sport, tourism and recreation (to a lesser extent). Young people use traditional media (TV, radio and press) much less frequently than the older segment of the population. An exception is listening to music on the radio, which is very popular, especially in smaller cities and towns. The number of radio stations has increased significantly, and many of them are specialised in relation to listener interests and profiles. Many young people in Bulgaria, especially between the ages of 10-18 gather in internet clubs, playing computer games in networks. The percentage of people who use e-mail on a regular (daily) basis aged 18-35 years is around 8-10%. The “SMS-culture” is increasing significantly, and usage of mobile phones among young people is also growing rapidly, especially during the past year – 24% of mobile phone owners are aged between 15-17, 14.7% between 18-19. Going out, eating and drinking, meeting each other in restaurants, dance clubs and cafés is the preferred way of spending time during weekends for a vast majority of the Bulgarian population between the ages of 15 and 25. This model of behaviour is also a reflection of the need for this age group to spend time with like-minded groups of friends. Participation of young people in cultural activity can not be given as percentages, since cultural organizations in Bulgaria do not conduct regular marketing surveys about attendance. Such data does not exist either at the national statistical level. Nevertheless, informal surveys show that participation of young people in performing arts events (theatre, opera, dance, etc.) is relatively high in the capital and larger cities (Varna, Burgas, Plovdiv). The long-established traditions of cultural participation of young people in such artistic forms are an important factor here. Below is an audience survey conducted in 2002 by the management team of the “Theatre 199” in Sofia. The table shows that the leading factor is not income, but education and individual taste/preference towards theatre art forms. The majority of the audience are young people aged 16-25 years. * Table 1: Structure of the audience interviewed, based on monthly average individual incomes for 2001
A serious problem among young people, which is also an important topic in the media and public debates, is drug abuse. The organization “Free Youth Bulgaria” (formerly named “Anti-drugs”) is one of several important non-profit organisations in the country aiming to help young people to fight against all types of addiction and pursue a drugs-free lifestyle. The term “network culture” may be understood in different dimensions: - Young people, involved with the Internet, ICT and new media related activities The overall proportion of people using the Internet in Bulgaria is still rather small (11,6% as of October 2003). The reasons for this are given as: “very expensive”, “no spare time for that”, “not high speed or good quality”. However the current year has seen a significant increase in both the number of Internet users, and the frequency of usage. Nevertheless, the dynamic of increasing usage of Internet among the Bulgarian population is very high – nearly double in the last 4 years. The Internet has become a virtual space for a huge percentage of Bulgarian youth. They indicate use of the Internet for a variety of purposes, but mainly for: music, games, chatting, entertainment, information, humour, school-related activities, educational purposes, etc. Listening to music and watching films through the Internet has become a very popular way for young people to spend their free time. Portals and search engines are the most frequently visited Internet sites by the young. Multimedia and new media are not very popular in the daily life of conventional cultural and artistic organisations (especially state and regional ones), although several flexible small young organisations have been established during the past few years. These are increasingly emphasising the relationship between the arts and media in their programming schemes. An excellent example is the InterSpace organisation – a media arts centre, found in 1998 in Sofia as a non-profit organization of professional artists, informatics engineers and do-it-yourself media makers. InterSpace works for the establishment of a social attitude to new media art forms, through the development of alternative means and possibilities for artistic expression through new media technologies. The centre aims to concentrate intellectual, creative and technological potential in working out an adequate structure and working conditions for production and popularisation of new media art projects. The centre’s activities include: creation and presentation of multimedia arts production and documentation; organisation of forums, exhibitions, conferences, workshops, vocational training courses, multimedia shows; and development of CULT.BG - Server for Arts and Culture. The InterSpace media lab provides Bulgarian artists, working in the field of new media and interdisciplinary projects, an open access to technologies, technical equipment and professional assistance. - Young people, involved in international/national cultural networking
There are numerous non-profit organisations in Bulgaria, putting emphasis
in their mission statements on the integration of young people to the
values and trends in European culture, helping them to better understand
the need for and consequences of the process of Bulgaria’s acceptance as a
member of the European Union. For example, the European Youth Movement was
set up in 1997 to unite young people between the ages of 18 and 35
throughout the country, expressing an interest in European integration
issues. - Young people, involved in any kind of professional or community networking. Community networking, especially orientated around spending evening leisure time in discos, local pubs and restaurants, is very popular in small towns and villages throughout Bulgaria. There have recently been determined efforts at both the national and regional levels to revitalize the old tradition of involving young people in the cultural and educational programmes of the lively and important former Cultural and Community Centres (“Chitalishta”) spread around the country. These centres are gradually once more becoming an essential focal point for “amateur art and community-based youth culture” in Bulgaria. In 2000 there was a very interesting feasibility study into possible transformation of the Chitalishta into Internet centres, connected in a virtual network. So far no specific actions have been taken in this direction. The local “computer game rooms” are a national phenomenon, having now existed for more than four years. The feasibility study on Internet Chitalishta shows that that all towns in Bulgaria have such game rooms in many neighbourhoods and that they are very well used by young people (regardless of the town’s economic condition). Many of them are called “Internet centres”, but they are mainly for computer games, and only half of them offer Internet services as well. In many cases the quality of Internet services is still poor and the price is relatively high in relation to the standard of living in Bulgaria. Different types of media are preferred by different age groups. Internet, ICT, TV (especially cable channels), video, cinema are the preferred media choices for the younger population (aged 15-40). More conventional media (radio, TV, newspapers) are more used by the older generation (45 and over). Hi-tech devices are still unpopular among Bulgarians in general - less than 7% of the population own MP3 and DVD players. Group age seems to be a less important factor than educational levels and geographical position when talking about using Internet and communication technologies, as the statistics shows that these exert a massive influence on users’ behavior. Additionally, not knowing a foreign language well or at all (especially English) is a barrier for the age group above 45 in Bulgaria in making use of the Internet.[2] Older groups of the population who live in the larger cities are more likely to exhibit some aspects of “networking culture” than those in the smaller towns. These differences have a social and economic nature, as low living standards and poverty affect a great part of Bulgarian society in the regions, especially those who are isolated and remote. Gender is also significant. For example, there is a notable difference in Internet chat behavior according to gender. Females from the young and middle-aged groups tend to stay and communicate online longer. Not surprisingly, the so-called “serial chatters” are concentrated in the 15-17 age band. Players of computer games are primarily young kids (7-12 years old), whereas teenagers (16-18) prefer the Internet and many of them use it increasingly as an information and educational resource.
Youth
culture in 21st century is inevitably market driven, and young
people grow up with a tendency to be market orientated, following the
daily invasion of advertising through the media, in the shops and on the
streets. Fashionable brand names are a key conversation topic among
youngsters. In the Bulgarian situation with its drastic social and
economic differences between families and individuals (in terms of living
standards and incomes), negative attitudes (in some cases even displaying
as aggression) appear between those young people who live at subsistence
level and those who can afford to benefit from the market driven material
world (constantly buying more and better goods) - Continuing poor access to the Internet and international ICT for young people in Bulgaria (in comparison with other European countries). - Financial inability for the majority of young people to travel and explore foreign countries; - Bulgarian traditions of the past of living in local communities and neighbourhoods (especially in small villages and towns), where physical contact and personal relations play a vital role. - Language barriers (the statistics show that not more than 8% of the Bulgarian population can use the English language). On the other hand, contemporary entertainment products, based on computer games and the Internet are global and go beyond any national cultural characteristics. Irrespective of the fact that the computer games market is highly differentiated (hundreds of thousands of types exist), it functions as an oligopoly, as it is divided between a limited number of powerful software companies - meaning that the young play almost one and the same computer games (which are fashionable for a certain time), regardless of their geographical location. The concept of “internationalism” creates a sense of dynamics, encourages exchanges and comparisons of good practice, and the creation of cross-border youth social programs. Here are two small examples: MAR - Bulgarian Youth Alliance for Development is an independent, non-governmental and non-profit organisation, runs international youth short-term volunteer projects (work camps) in Bulgaria and welcomes hundreds of young volunteers each year from all over the world. Most of the work camps last about 2 weeks and take place in summer (June-July-August). Student Computer Art Society /SCAS/, Bulgaria is a national non-profit NGO focusing on: modern media and communications; youth information processing and delivery, training and counselling of young people and NGOs on ICT and modern media, career development, project management etc. SCAS is managing two main centres: o National Student Information Centres network – information and counselling centers for young people in seven towns in Bulgaria o Computer Arts Center – supporting youth projects in the field of modern media and computer arts. Unfortunately, no relevant data are found in Internet about the current functioning and programs of the society.
Impact on society A serious negative factor influencing network culture is the inadequacy of computer equipment in schools (in 2003 there was a total of 10,833 computers in the 3,270 primary and secondary schools in Bulgaria), as well as limited access to the Internet in Bulgarian schools – only around 60% of them are connected, and in many cases the quality of access to the Internet is poor.
A survey among student youth in Bulgaria was conducted in December 1998. The sample comprises 167 cases of students from three higher educational establishment in Plovdiv, almost equally represented by first-, second-, third – and fourth-year students (studying for a B.A) in technical, philological and pedagogical subjects. The survey data reveal that Bulgarian young people identify foremost with their country (36,9%) and with their native town or village (33,7%). Less frequent are references ‘to trans-national communities – 12% define the world as a source of their own identity and 4,7 % point out Europe. ( Mitev ) Table 1 The feeling of pride of Bulgarian young people (%)
When asked directly about their European identity the majority of the young people replied that it had not yet been formed . Only about a quarter believed they had a firm identity as Europeans. In the mind of students in Bulgaria, being European implies above all sharing European values and styles of behaviour, and leading a European way of life, defined by the students as ‘rich’ in its economic and cultural aspects. Table 2 The concept of ‘European identity’ in the notions of students (%)
They also define Europe as ‘a centre of culture’ much more than ‘ economic integration’, or ‘as a political organisation’. Bulgarian students envisage themselves mentally in a light which is favourable to Bulgarian accession to the EU: 43% of the respondents define the relationship of EU member-countries as a basis for mutual assistance; 40% as a basis for economic co-operation. Young people in Bulgaria show a high emigration potential. Fewer than 1 out of 15 students say they have never considered emigrating and do not want to leave. A very high proportion of the respondents (85%) are willing ‘to live abroad for a while”, and another 9% admit that they have not considered emigrating only because they have not yet had the opportunity. (Mitev. 1999 :57)
Policy
issues The bitter past of the compulsory “group organisation” of young people has led to a situation during the last 10 years in which individualistic behaviour prevails, rejecting any kind of community or group involvement and accompanied by passive political behaviour by many young people. The Ministry of Youth and Sport in Bulgaria is the most active amongst the government bodies in terms of dealing with the problems of young people. There is a special Department for Youth (“Direkcia Mladez”) within the Ministry, and a programme for financing youth activities and NGOs working with young people for the year 2004-2005. The priorities of the programme are as follows: - research into the needs and priorities of young people; - establishment of specialised spaces for young people (clubs, information centres, etc); - social inclusion of young people and improving of their professionalism and skills; - physical education and sporting activities for youth; - support of employment for young people The Ministry of Education and Science in Bulgaria does not publicly demonstrate clear evidence that it recognises the importance of youth affairs through creating a sub-body, or an organization at the national level to deal with the problems of young people, and by implication with network youth culture as well. Specific youth-related policies are not articulated in the strategic documents, action plans and reports of the Ministry of Culture either, with the exception of some funding programmes for professional artistic debuts (provided by the national fund “Culture”). In some cases, municipalities around the country have ad-hoc youth-related programmes, especially dealing with festivals, concerts, folk celebrations, artistic, or social and educational events in a specific town or city. The information, coordination and promotion of youth culture definitely requires more careful attention from national and regional government bodies. Initiating and supporting research on young peoples’ culture, behaviour, habits, and activities is still not well represented in the agendas of universities and research institutions around the country. Some sociological agencies, centres and non-profit organisations have done research especially about the negative trends among the Bulgarian youth-drug abuse, alcoholism, criminality, and migration trends. Youth culture could (and in some cases should) be integrated with the policies of many other areas (media, communication, external and internal affairs, public administration system, labour and social security, health care, etc.).
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* The opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Canadian Heritage or the Government of Canada.
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