The Global Youth Anti-Culture: Realities, Trends and Implications for Malaysian Youth Research

This paper attempts to highlight some of the key issues pertaining to the advent of what is beencoined “global culture,” and its impact on youth both in Malaysia and around the world. Globalculture has become a reality in Malaysia due to the rapid globalization process that has burgeonedover the past two decades. This piece focuses particularly on the plight of young people withina dramatically changing world, with a particular emphasis on implications for youth research.Some of the topics covered include: the universal nature and rise of social ills among youth; thedeteriorating state of the family in societies including Malaysia and its impact on youth; how youthare viewed and targeted by multinational corporate entities in an ever-increasing materialistic andconsumerist world culture; the traditional status of youth in Western and Eastern societies andhow that status is changing; and how today’s global culture impacts young peoples’ ability to carveout an identity for themselves. The paper concludes with general suggestions for the potentialrole of youth research as the primary mechanism for explaining the intricate issues facing youngpeople as they attempt to grow and succeed in the modern world.