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Adolescents' use of socially disvalued media: Towards a theory of media delinquency

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Abstract

This article essentially addresses one specific question: Why do some adolescents actively and sometimes flauntingly use socially disvalued media contents? Using the empirical examples of use of heavy metal rock and video violence, particular emphasis is first placed on the role of the school as a generating context for both delinquency and (popular) cultural dispositions. Second, by combining these parallel fields of inquiry, a theory of “media delinquency” is proposed that places the use of socially disvalued media within a wider theoretical context of adolescent development.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Communication Science, The Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium

    Keith Roe (Professor of Communication)

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  1. Keith Roe
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Received his Ph.D in The Sociology of Communication from the University of Lund, Sweden in 1983. His main research interests include adolescents and the media, literacy, school achievement and the media, and research methodology.

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Roe, K. Adolescents' use of socially disvalued media: Towards a theory of media delinquency. J Youth Adolescence 24, 617–631 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01537059

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