Customs and habits, likes and dislikes, dress, art, thoughtsa look at these give one an insight as to how a people differ from another. It is the culture of a society that renders them unique.
But to determine this, one needs to take a look at the various sections of people that make up the society, and youth constitute only one section. Their trends can thus contribute to only part of the study of contemporary culture. Taking the example of a family, in which there are people of all age groups, it would be unfair to conclude that the younger generation of the family represents the psyche of the entire family.
On the contrary, the most influential section of the society is the bread winning one. The people who belong to this category normally are those who are middle aged, in some cases slightly younger or older. .
Moreover, youth are only fledglings in society, mostly guided by their parents or other elders. Their values most often reflect those of their elders whom they take as the guiding light and form their opinions.
Also, youth, which mainly consists of adolescents, are generally rebellious in nature. It is their tendency to not only question, but also go against the norms set down by their elders. The result is that there is a hiatus in their respective lifestyles and consequentially their cultures. For example, it may be the trend of the young people in a society to sport torn clothes, but this is not necessarily the trend prevailing among members of other age groups.
Nevertheless, it is important to analyze the trends of the youth in order to gain an insight into the culture that might prevail in future. After all it is these people who will control important factors like the economy in future, and grow up to be the most influential section of society.
In conclusion, although analysis of trends of the youth may be important in determining culture, it is not indicative of the whole of contemporary culture.