Teen Communities

Defining Teen Communities

The first challenge in the study of teen communities is articulating a comprehensive definition of the term teen. The teen years in contemporary Western society are often described as the period when childhood ends and adulthood begins—usually including those aged between 12 and 18. Nevertheless, this conceptualization ignores important cultural, social, historical, and political dimensions that influence what it is to be a teen. [Page 844]When the teenage years begin and end are sociocultural demarcations that vary greatly across cultures and even within cultures. At the same time, what the teen years constitute—and their unique characteristics—has been also under much debate. Some researchers include primarily biological markers of change, while others tend to focus on cultural and social change. For instance, teenagers in developing countries may experience the adolescent period differently than those in Western societies. In developing countries, some teenagers are quickly integrated into adulthood with enormous responsibilities, such as earning their own subsistence, helping parents with labor, or even marrying and managing their own households.

Teens crave spaces to socialize outside adult oversight and go to great lengths to feel a sense of belonging. They tend to cluster in communities, or cliques, which are based on similarities of age, gender, and background and are difficult for outsiders to penetrate.

Some scholars go as far as to question the very existence of a unique teen period, arguing that developmental phases are sociocultural constructions, and in reality, development is not characterized by abrupt change, but rather constitutes constant learning and adaptation. Even the term teenager has loaded roots; it was devised and popularized in the 1940s to point out a demographic of sudden interest to marketers. By creating the teenage category, products and services could be geared specifically to this demographic.

Teen communities are the social relationships that teens form with peers and the structuring of these relationships into larger social networks. Teen communities can be investigated at different levels, including small groups (triads), large social networks, cliques, crowds, and teen subcultures. Each of these levels of analysis provides unique insight into the ways young people affiliate with their peers.

Membership in Teen Communities

Teenagers are members of multiple communities, each corresponding to a unique social setting with a distinct set of relationships, norms, and social behaviors. For most teenagers, family ties represent their most central and influential social network. Additionally, of great importance are the communities of peers they develop at school and, historically, in their neighborhood; these are the nurseries of early friendship. Suburbanization—combined [Page 845]with increased fears about safety and school choice—has limited the role of the neighborhood in shaping many teens' social lives. Teen communities have become sparsely knit over geographic areas, often centered on school affiliation. Sports, arts, and science often serve a social substitute for families who can afford these activities.

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