Ending the 'War against Youth': Social Media and Hip-Hop Culture as Sites of Resistance, Transformation and (Re) Conceptualization

The purpose of this essay is to ameliorate the virulent discursive and material attack against today's "border" youth launched by large-scale corporations and Western politicians. Specifically, the authors problematize the dominant tropes of youth being mindless, obedient objects who passively accept the stark social reality they experience due to corporate logics trumping the needs and welfare of global citizens. Based on their empirical and cultural work with Hip Hop artists in the US and Canada, and through relevant examples in other global contexts, the authors illustrate that numerous Hip Hop artists are critically aware of the forces causing oppression in their social worlds and are actively employing various forms of social media for personal empowerment and social justice ends. Finally, the authors generate a conceptual model--Hip Hop Activist Praxis-- for the purpose of not only articulating the processes utilized by Hip Hop youth, artists and activists, but also aiding concerned scholars, educators and practitioners in challenging their views of youth, Hip Hop culture and technology, and (re) conceptualizing their partnerships with youth.