Holidays are about friends
2007-07-12
Erica Dreijer
WE like the same things, yet we are different - was the overall impression that Paarl Post got from talking to teenagers about how they pass their time during their holidays.
Marketers often identify music and popular culture as a way of reaching the youth market, but it is in this “labelling” process that one often misses out on the nuances and differences that exist.
Yet it is a very diverse market. Most teenagers interviewed love hanging out with their friends, listening to music and watching movies and television.
Most teens interviewed said that they liked to spend time with friends. Socialising is an important part of how they connect to the world and to each other.
They often just “hang out together” and talk (a lot!) rather than engaging in a particular activity (as opposed to the older generation where friendships are often maintained around hobbies, interests and life stages).
Best friends Danielle Welman (14) and Mellisa van den Berg (14) said that they like to “hang out” with their girl friends.
“We don’t always want boys around, as it allows us to talk about things that interest girls - like boys, embarrassing moments and your dream man.”
Riyaan Khan said that on weekends, when he gets together with his friends they “sit around, listen to music, braai and sometimes talk about girls.”
Urian Wehr (17) said that his friends and he “like to meet up and talk”.
When friends are not at hand, they use MiXit “to meet their friends” using their cellphones, says Amadea Present (16).
According to Mellisa van den Berg, it is a safer way to get in touch with friends than internet chat rooms and is also extremely cheap at one cent per text message.
The high boredom factor that goes hand in hand with holidays, also tends to bring people together, to lessen the “suffering”.
Vanoline Thornton (12) and Lynne du Plessis (14) said they beat the holiday boredom factor by “hosting concerts, washing and doing each other’s hair” and experiment by doing each others’ make-up.
Thandile Ngculo (16) and Zimkhithe Blati (17), on the other hand, said they love to play games “like five stones, skipping and hide and seek with their friends” to overcome boredom.
Cristiaan Smit (14), a rugby enthusiast, and his friends kill time by going with his friends to a rugby field and kicking the ball around.
Music enhances the social experience.
Monique Moses (16) said that they tend to hang around home for most of the day, “but in the afternoon we will dress up and go to friends in the area and then go to a game centre to socialise and listen to music”.
According to Danielle Welman, she and her friends like listening to music and recently they held a dance in a friend's room at home - “It was a lot of fun.”
Teens’ choice of music differentiates them and creates social groupings.
Christiaan favours Bok van Blerk and Offspring, Zimkhithe likes Malaika, Mafikizolo and Ntando, while Amadea loves RMB and rave music.
TV is a readily available solution to help kill time, relax, fight insomnia, provide entertainment and stay in touch with popular culture.
For Xolani, TV provides a way to relax after working the whole day and has replaced friends as it offers a trouble-free, easy to maintain “friendship”. Generations, Home Affairs and e.tv movies rate amongst his favourites.
Christiaan stays up late and uses TV as a companion after everyone else in his household has already gone to bed.
For most teens, however, it provides a form of passive entertainment that helps to fight boredom.
The movie experience tends to be more of a social occasion while visiting the cinema or watching DVDs at home.
According to Leatitia Smith (14) she likes to go to the movies with friends, then visit a nearby restaurant to catch up the gossip and holiday plans.
Danielle and Melissa said that their circle of friends enjoy “TV evenings” – often a sleepover that brings together the delights of friends, chatter, snacks and good movies.
Riyaan watches DVDs on his home theatre system as a way to relax.
Amadea mostly takes out old movies “that I haven’t watched before” on DVD.
“At the moment I am watching Mr Bean – he is very funny.”
Most teenagers had seen or were planning to see Shrek the Third and the latest Harry Potter movie.
Even though entertainment and socialising makes up a large part of how the youth enjoy spending their holidays, holidays are not always only about fun and games.
Some used it as a way of getting ahead or maintaining and developing their talents.
Xolani tended to his cousin’s stall during holidays, selling caps and bags.
As a result of the recent public sector strike that affected his school, at the moment he also uses his evenings to prepare for his upcoming exams.
Leatitia (14) uses school holidays to go through her school work again.
She got Boland colours in netball when she was in grade seven and trains three hours a day during the holiday.
Riyaan (16) is serious about business and has had his own stall in Lady Grey Street “for the last six or seven years”. He plans on having his own business one day after he leaves school.
Cristiaan practises rugby four times a week during holidays and Urian works at the cinema for about four hours a day.
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