ADOLESCENTS USE OF SOCIALLY DISVALUED MEDIA - TOWARDS A THEORY OF MEDIA DELINQUENCY

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 roc k and video violence, particular emphasis is first placed on the role of the school as a generating context for both delinquency and (popula r) cultural dispositions. Second, by combining these parallel fields o f inquiry, a theory of ''media delinquency'' is proposed that places t he use of socially disvalued media within a wider theoretical context of adolescent development.