ym360 Trends and Culture Update (Vol 18)

At ym360, we're committed to equipping youth workers. While most of our energy is dedicated to doing this in the areas of Bible Study Resources and Training, we believe it's valuable for youth workers and parents to stay in the loop on what is happening in youth culture and culture in general. (Read why we think it's important here.) A couple times a month, we'll do a post like this one, where we link to relevant articles and studies that give you a better glimpse into the world teenagers are living in. [Note: By nature, some of the articles and subject matter we deal with in Trends & Culture often conflicts with our beliefs and ethics as Christ-followers. Our purpose in linking to this type of material is to simply give you the option of knowing the culture your students are surrounded by. Use discretion to determine which links to click on.] We'd love to know that we're not just equipping you, but those you serve, as well. Consider using this article to equip your community in the following ways:

• Email this link to your adult volunteers
• Repost it on your blog or church website
• Email the link to all your parents to help equip them to better understand their teen's world
• SHARE IT with your youth ministry networks. This is a great way to help your peeps!

Without further ado, here are some relevant links we think you should know about.

Some Social Media & Tech News

• MySpace was finally purchased and is looking to focus on a place where artists can showcase music and art.
• We linked to this infographic last week that shows how available college education is to anyone with an Internet connection. Cool stuff. (h/t Mashable)
• Facebook seems to be panicking just a little bit over Google+. The social network is blocking an app that allows users to export all their friends from Facebook to Google+. (h/t Mashable)
• This was kind of clever . . . The history of America as told by Facebook.

A Glance At Recent Research

• The US Dept. of Education released new numbers on college costs. And it's a lot of money. The avg. cost for public college education is almost $11,000/ year. Wow. (h/t YPulse)
• New study shows that 1/3 of adults are overwhelmed by technology, and that a surprising 43% of 10-18 year olds are trying to "cut down or control" their use of technology.
• Recent study shows that drug addiction usually starts before the age of 18. And that nearly half of all teenagers have tried smoking, drinking or doing drugs, or are doing so now.
• Nielson study shows that this generation of teenagers is the most digitally connected generation ever. We mentioned this study a couple of weeks ago, but this site has a more in-depth look at the findings that's easy to sort out.

The World of Youth-Culture & Entertainment

• ABC Family, Seventeen Magazine, and StompOutBullying.org have combined for a very big campaign to stop online bullying. It looks great, and it's certainly a positive step. I My question is, "Does it have any impact on those who bully?"
• Real life meets the movies: A Texas high school is considering allowing Quidditch, the aerial sport played in Harry Potter films, to be recognized as an official sport at the school. Huh?

  That's it for this edition of the ym360 Trends & Culture report. Look for another one the week of July 18th.

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Any specific study or link stand out to you? Disagree with anything? Let us know by sharing your thoughts below.