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Youth culture refers to the accepted behaviours, beliefs and interests of young people in our society. It allows adolescents the opportunity to explore their identities, free of any older generations. This could be done through music, clothing, sports, or hobbies and it enables teenagers to express themselves while mixing with likeminded people. As society changes over time, so too does youth culture, with smaller subcultures constantly developing and transforming at a rapid pace. One of these subcultures is known as ‘Skaters’, which dates back to the 1980’s and was born from the sport of skateboarding. This distinct group has changed a lot over the last 40 years, to the point where it has now influenced the creation of other sports and subcultures, like that of the ‘Adrenaline Junkie’. The ‘Skaters’ subculture was initially associated with punk rock music, baggy clothing, and a care-free attitude. They were mostly young males who would skate around urban environments and it was for this reason that many were seen as outcasts. According to Lyn Smith... This opinion is corroborated with Sydney Giles, who added that... These quotes highlight, that it was this unique attitude and set of values that really made the skater subculture what it was. Starting in the 1980’s, skateboarding wasn’t just an activity but a way of life, where authenticity, freedom, and self-expression were all vital. Whether you were a slow and soulful person, or a fast-paced daredevil, it would all come out in your skateboarding style. Therefore it is not surprising that this subculture began to grow with popularity, as time went on. The creation of new tricks and short documentary films in the late 90’s, really helped to bring about significant changes to the Skater subculture, as it found a larger audience and helped to create house-hold names. According to the Red Bull website, perhaps the most influential of these was Tony Hawk, whose popularity continued to rise with the introduction of his popular video game series, which allowed players to skate in different street and underground environments. This is when skateboarding began to make its way into mainstream media. Bam Margera, (who featured as a character in these video games) helped gather more recognition with his later participation in the Jackass films and his own reality television show, Viva-La-Bam. Here he shared his risky, carefree antics, bringing more recognition to the Skater subculture. These events have all helped to slowly reshape the sport into what it is today. Dedicated skate parks, means that there is now a place where skaters can come together. In doing so, the sport has not only become more popular, but also more socially accepted, even becoming an Olympic Sport in 2020. It is now clear that the wider community no longer see Skaters in such a negative light, meaning that he future of the skater subculture looks strong. Since the early 1980s, perhaps the biggest changes to society have been due to technology; more specifically, the internet, which took off in the early 90’s. It wasn’t until the mid-2000’s however, that social media and video sharing websites first launched. It has been this technology that has had the greatest impact on sports. The Sport Digest explains, that the internet has provided a platform to distribute information and content about different sports in order to reach new audiences. Now more than ever, we have access to hundreds of different sports taking place all over the world, many of which we have not been aware of, or exposed to. This has also been thanks to new camera technologies, and drones, which now can capture all the action from different point of views, allowing the audience to be emerged within the sport. This is particularly true for extreme sports, as it gives fans a real feel for what these athletes are contending with. This can also help build a sense of community among enthusiasts and audiences, particularly in individual sports. This has been more important than ever over the last two years, with the pandemic making team sports problematic. All of these reasons help to explain why we have seen more young people try their hand at different sports, leading in turn, to more modern subculture groups. One subculture that has really benefited from the increase of technology is the Adrenaline Junkie. These are people “with a compulsive desire for excitement and adventure.” Like skaters, the one quality that stands out in this subculture is the values and attitudes that are shared among the group. Their common philosophy is to push the boundaries, take risks, and seek adventure. For these reasons, most adrenaline junkies are connected with several different extreme sports, such as rock and ice climbing, BMX riding, highlining and free climbing. The inclusive nature is likely what has made this subculture so popular in recent times, with a 2022 survey of 120 teenagers, suggesting that over 45% enjoy either participating or watching these activities online, describing these people as “exciting” and “crazy”. The future of this subculture seems bright, with Red Bull, now sponsoring many of these extreme sports. By bringing together these activities under one common brand name, they have succeeded in creating an almost cult-like following, allowing like-minded people to come together. Already, we have seen the creation of competition and the breaking of records, all helping to bring more attention to these sports. As we saw with the skaters, the more the community grows, the stronger the youth subculture becomes.