Factors of Changing Patterns of Youth Culture: A Study among the Students of Selected Public and Private Universities of Bangladesh

Abstract

This study attempts to explore the cultural practices and variations among the youth in rural and urban settings in Bangladesh, and investigate the key factors responsible for the changes in cultural practices, including the influence of globalization among the youth. Against this backdrop, this is a mixed-method study where both qualitative and quantitative approaches have been used. In the qualitative method, two focus group discussions and six case studies were conducted. On the contrary, in the quantitative method, a total of 220 surveys have been conducted. The students of three selected universities in Dhaka and Mymensingh city are mainly the respondents. The total sample size of this study is 228, including both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Convenience sampling was adopted to select the survey respondents and the purposive sampling technique was adopted to select the samples in the FGD and case studies. The ‘cultural homogenization’ theory by John Tomlinson and George Ritzer, and the ‘McDonaldization’ theory by George Ritzer are connected in this study. The study reveals various factors responsible for changes in youth culture, which include the proliferation of technology, cultural exchange, modern lifestyle, economic development, educational development, decrease of norms and values, and so on. Youths are the future of a nation, and their individuality can be deformed by foreign culture through globalization, making it crucial to explore current practices and cultural changes among them.