Disconnected: Why our kids are turning their backs on everything we thought we knew

(Paperback)

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In the spirit of No Logo and Fast Food Nation, Disconnected is the author's journey into modern youth culture, meeting and speaking to hundreds of kids on the way. Shocking and revealing, it gives adults an insight into understanding a generation gap that has never been so wide. 'I wanted to discover what young people are really up to. To see how far they've come - and where they think they're going. Today's young generation don't want reality. They want disconnection - a world of novelty, velocity and volume. A world without implications or responsibilities, where your personality is defined by how you dress, who you listen to, and which kind of celebrity you want to be. Their values and behaviour are changing at an unprecedented rate. They are not inheriting our culture - they're moving into a new improved version, with a permanent soundtrack (that you don't like), a new language (that you don't understand) and a radical morality (that you don't accept).' Confronting crime, underage sex, fame obsession, violence, ambition, learning and friendship, Nick Barham's compelling investigation finds that this disconnection from what adults understand to be substantial or real is creating a radical new youth culture.

Reviews

He dashes all over the place, like a search engine set to random, like an ad exec brainstorming... It's full of fun * Daily Telegraph *
A truly shocking book * Independent *
It is refreshing to find a book that attempts to understand and enjoy the passionate technicolour diversity of modern youth culture * Daily Telegraph *
Sure, some of it's shocking, but it's also positive and hopeful, too * Elle *
Barham is firmly on the side of the kids... His interviewees talk freely to him about taking shed-loads of E and ketamine (originally a horse anaesthetic)... He sees people wearing T-Shirts that say "Jesus is a c**t", watches Jackass, surfs porn, and visits the bondage nightclub Torture Garden to see people having sex in public...Barham muses provocatively * Guardian *

Author Bio

Nick Barham is fascinated by contemporary culture. Over the last five years he has visited shopping malls, skateparks, video arcades, clubs, protests, car expos, universities and squats in Europe, the States and Asia. He has written articles for publications from Dazed & Confused to the Financial Times. He is a partner at the advertising and design company, Karmarama.