ABSTRACT
Urban media play a central role in determining how certain social forms take shape in the city. The inverse is also the case, as social forms in the city often determine the shape and scope of urban media. As terms designed to capture distinctive aspects of collective life in the city, the role of urban media in framing, shaping, and supporting subcultures and scenes is often un- or under-theorized. There is scant research that treats all three terms, subculture/scene, media, and the city, with analytical or conceptual parity. A brief overview of these terms as they emerged in social theory can highlight moments where the complementarity of the city, urban media forms and practices, as well as scenes and subcultures illustrates how they have helped define one another.
