by Thabang Leshilo (@Thabang_Leshilo) Given that June pays tribute to the youth of South Africa, this month I want to reflect upon the country’s youth culture, its scenes, sub-cultures and tribes.
Once predominantly consumers of American pop culture, we see young people of South Africa moving away from that singular influence and embracing more of Africa’s to form their own unique identity and stand out in a global world of sameness.
Liberated from the traditional, conservative and patriarchal society our parents were raised in, we have become more self-expressive, irrespective of our backgrounds and cultural differences.
Scenes, sub-cultures and tribes
SA’s youth culture scene is one that can be described as diverse, vibrant, creative and entrepreneurial.
At the forefront, coming from all corners of SA’s varied economic and social landscape, are a number of young, leading-edge creatives, as identified by the Superblast 100. This list highlights a number of young musicians, designers, artists, photographers and the like who are helping shape our current — and future — youth culture through the things they create.
Included on it are comedians Derick Watts & The Sunday Blues, filmmaker Lebogang Rasethaba and fashion photographer Chisanga Mubanga.
Recently, we have seen youth subcultures such as Izikhotane, Smarteez and Zef — all unique to SA — make an impact upon the youth scene. The Izikhotane strut brands they can’t even afford and sometimes burn them in other neighbourhoods during boasting outings; Smarteez are a small group of fashion designers who dress in bright and mismatching colours and patterns to make their statement (you get where they get their name from, right?) and Zef are those guys wearing tanks tops (still) and mullet haircuts.
A more dominant trend
However, what has become a more dominant trend is the need for young people to stand out and set themselves apart from the rest, and they do this through their clothing or their lifestyle choices.
At first, this statement might sound contradictory; take a walk through Braamfontein in Johannesburg on a Saturday afternoon and every hipster and bohemian is trying so very hard to appear different to their friends … and yet they all look the same.
With the fast cycle of production and consumption, music and fashion have become a lot more affordable and accessible to the masses, so it may seem as though youth subcultures have dwindled into a mass pop culture.
But where people can differentiate themselves, and where they are creating their own identities, is online. The personal brand has never before been as important as it is today.
Online tribes
Of course, being completely out of the crowd is not so fun. So what we see are subcultures that are turning into online tribes. A number of platforms, such as blogs, interest groups on Facebook or Instagram accounts, exist to facilitate connections and conversations where young people with similar interests can find each other. Be it fashion, music or travel, the content that is created online sees young South Africans forging tribes both locally and with the wider world.
Global fashion and lifestyle brands such as Converse, Nike, Levis and Rayban continue to resonate with SA’s youth culture as their values continue to speak to their desire to be youthful, creative and self-expressive.
For your brand to do likewise and connect with the youth, you need to provide a global experience that can resonate locally by collaborating and seeding the brands with the more leading-edge creative consumers. By analysing what’s happening now and what will happen next, your brand may begin to drive culture among the youth.
Thabang Leshilo (@Thabang_Leshilo) is a project manager at strategic marketing consultancy Added Value. As a ‘next-generation’ marketer with fresh and curious eyes looking into the industry, she has a keen interest for brands that are culturally in tune with and able to integrate and immerse themselves into the everyday realities of the consumer. She contributes the monthly “Tuned” column, sharing marketing insight and analysis, to MarkLives.
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