Josh Michael G.

David
H12A
SOC 212

How significant is the role of the youth in the social movement?

Social movement, in this generation, is becoming more prominent than it has been over the years.
According to Britannica.com, “it is a loosely organized but sustained campaign in support of a social goal, typically
either the implementation or the prevention of a change in society’s structure or values. Although social
movements differ in size, they are all essentially collective”. Getting from that definition, we can say that a social
movement is more or less, a form of protest, albeit a more confined and peaceful one. It is a gathering of similar
minded people, with similar beliefs, in hopes of changing the perception of a society towards one particular thing,
or more. And the idea has been here since the dawn of time; we have had labor movements with various races and
immigrants, civil rights in the US which stemmed from the country’s Civil War, and environmentalist groups still
out there, fighting the good fight for ecology. It is nothing new, and we have had numerous movements since then.
Going back to my previous statement, social movements have become more prominent now, and why is that? I
believe this is where the youth come in. What exactly is the role of the youth, and how do the factor in a
community’s current issues? Are they really integral in shaping up one’s society?

One thing that we can take from this generation that I have noticed, is that the youth of today is one of the
big influencers of this generation. An article by Diana Divecha regarding the differences of the teens of today from
past generations, one aspect of change that they pointed out is that the iGens, her classifications of the current
teens that were born from 1995 to 2012, exhibit more care for others, in terms of sociability. They have respect for
diversity of all kinds, and it rubs off on people. Back then, the idea of racism, even though there are still traces of it
within the present day, was such a recurring issue back in the day, and almost no one was there to help but those
who were affected themselves. Back then, having a different sexual orientation than the one you were born with
was looked down upon, let alone having a whole community based around on it. These problems, they were not
fixed or solved in an immediate fashion, it took time for the commotion to die down. And what did the youth of
yesteryear do? Little. And I do not mean that as a bad thing, like what one Gigi Zulita, amongst other parents with
opinions regarding the youth of today, has stated; “The youth before were conservative and reserved. Today’s youth is
strongly influenced by new technology, becoming wild and having low morals.” Although the context of the statement
was quite negative, on our end, it is not her idea of today’s youth that we should focus on, it is the youth before.
They were conservative and reserved. They were traditional. They were the usual idea that most people had with
regards to children and teenagers; close-minded at naïve. They did not know about the issues around them, and
even if they did, they would just essentially leave it up to the grown-ups to deal with it. The teens of today,
however, would immediately put their two cents on it. They are essentially the trendsetters, in a positive sense.

In part of that, this generation’s youth is also very passionate in what they believe in. They have grown to
be very vocal about certain issues, and this is all strengthened with the use of technology, social media specifically.
An article on Forbes discusses some positive uses of social media, in that it allows for increased teen awareness. It
mentions that teens want to be as aware and informed as the adults are, and helps them follow the organizations
and causes that they believe in. Teens should always be in the loop of things as they are the future of the
generation, and us voicing out our opinions as early as now can help us understand what we need to do about the
problems at hand in the future where we can definitely make the needed change. The unfortunate truth is that the
youth are only limited to the things that they can actually do, but can offer ideas and suggestions on issues beyond
their reach. And since I classified youth as big influencers, their thoughts could still have an impact in the present
day. This can all be possible with the help of social media, and taking away the social media aspect is almost the
same as taking away our thoughts and opinions. A phrase on the Forbes article states it best; “Social media is one of
the best outlets to reach the minds of young people to make a real difference.”
 With regards to the actual opinions of the youth, its mostly in line with what I have said in the previous
paragraphs. They truly want social change for the betterment of the society. Their optimism towards having an
ideal world of equality is what strengthens them to look past the imperfect one that we live in now. Their minds
have advanced to the point where they now have the ability to clearly see the problems with an objective eye and
can come up with a rational solution that benefits all, rather than thinking up a half-assed suggestion that only
helps themselves. The UME describes these thought processes in three basic areas: 1. Reasoning, 2. Abstract
thinking, and 3. To think about thinking. The average teen gains these three around the age of 15-16, and with the
help mind opening mentors, such as both parents and teachers, they can immediately develop a logical and
levelheaded mind. It is through this that they have become active in various social movements and becoming
effective in voicing out their message. Movements such as the LGBTQ+ community, feminist groups, discrimination
activists, animal rights, and such, they all have been active and relevant in this day and age, and this is all with the
help of the adolescents. It is with their voices and passion that gives these movements the push of recognition and
awareness they need. Even if they are not directly affected by the issues, they strive to help those in need because
again, they respect each other, and want an ideal world of equality, despite the imperfect world they live in.

They might be big influencers, but the youth of today are still being seen as underrated in the society. They
have been looked down by some as just those with no purpose in life, just because they drown themselves in
technology that they misread it as a nuisance, when it is essentially their voices in this world full of horns and
barks. The people see their opinions as naivety, and nothing more, when it actually gives off decent amounts of
ideas that could genuinely make the world a better place. The youth of today and their ideas for the world are
significant, and should be treated as such.

References:
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/social-movement
- https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_teens_today_are_different_from_past_generations
- https://www.philstar.com/inbox-world/2008/10/12/406567/you-see-it-how-are-values-todays-youth-
different-those-older-generation
-https://www.forbes.com/sites/ajagrawal/2016/03/18/its-not-all-bad-the-social-good-of-social-
media/#4ee40dc6756f
- https://extension.umn.edu/child-development/changes-teens-thinking-processes