Steven Best|Douglas Kellner
Contemporary Youth and the Postmodern Adventure
contemporary youth major players postmodern adventure enter future shape world come offspring babyboomers postboomerpost60s posthistorical postmodern yet live present marred extreme uncertainty facing future murky unpredictable youth today change name game forced adapt rapidly mutating crisisridden world characterized novel information computer genetic technologies complex fragile global economy frightening era war terrorism according dominant discourses media politics academic research everyday life growing segments youth increasingly unstable violent dangerous situation youth today marked dissolution family growing child abuse domestic conflict drug alcohol abuse sexually transmitted diseases poor education crumbling schools escalating criminalization imprisonment even state execution alarming assaults youth combined massive federal cutbacks programs might give youth chance succeed increasingly difficult world hence todays youth risk growing number ways survival challenge ready inherit social world increasingly deteriorating natural world ever savaged industrial forces yet also access exciting realms cyberspace possibilities technologies identities entrepreneurial adventures unimagined previous generations contemporary youth includes best educated generation history technically sophisticated diverse multicultural making generalizations youth present day precarious study develop concepts outline critical theory youth articulates positive negative ambiguous aspects current situation delineate defining features condition contemporary youth indicate ways encountering challenges facing suggest might best engaged obviously wide diversity youth experiences varying genders races classes sexualities social groups want suggest differences also emphasizing share common generation argument within present social crisis grave dangers youth also enhanced freedoms opportunities positive futures cannot created however unless youth able achieve variety forms literacy including print media computer skills enhanced education kellner 2002 abilities enable cope rapidly changing environment help emergent generations shape future remake culture social world inherit first generation live intensely transformative realms cyberspace hyperreality