ABSTRACT
The age of eighteen is usually taken to signify a point of transition for a young Australian. The inner lives of young people frequently do not match the normative ideas that others may have about them. The same point can be made about all aspects of the youth transition to adulthood: moving from education to work; moving out of home; and moving into an intimate relationship. Youth culture is not just about style preferences, however; it has substance. Peer groups associated with different youth cultures provide reassurance and stability (ontological security) during the transition to adult citizenship. Two decades of new information and communication technologies have altered the space and time dimensions of young people’s lives. They are immersed in a media-rich environment, using phones and computers, playing online games, and operating in constant communication with their friends through Web 2.0/3.0 devices.
