Student+-+Hutchinson,+D

[| Ravers]. "A raver can be anyone who attends an all night party (could be underground and small or "bust-free" and massive) consisting of DJs who play electronic dance music (for example: trance, house, happy hardcore, drum & bass, etc.) frequently."  - [] A typical Rave party/concert would involve loud trance, house, happy hardcore, drum & bass, hardstyle and hardcore music, florescent lighting, large crowds and dancing. The Rave scene is also strongly associated with the used of the drug ecstasy, as it "enhances the experience" of the lights and music.
 * __Belonging in the 21st Century.__**
 * RAVERS**.
 * 1) Choose a 'social identity' that interests you.**

Raves (as we know them today) were initially held in the 80's and 90's in defiance of authority in general, so people who attended chose to belong to this group in an act of rebel defiance, and to be recognized as rebellious, but with the recent commercialization of Raves, they have been significantly toned down to suit the laws of the area, and have become more about the celebration of the various types of music on show rather than an act of rebel defiance. This means that current Ravers tend to choose to be a part of the rave scene because they feel that the music and the atmosphere of the scene represents their personality.
 * 2) a) why do you believe people choose to belong in this way?**

People may choose to not belong to the Rave scene because of the negative stigmas that are often associated with Ravers. These stigmas occur as a result of [|the Rave scene's] association with drug, lad and fight cultures. People may also choose not to belong to the Rave scene because it simply isn't what they like, and to say that they belong to the "rave subculture" would not be a fair assessment of their character, and they therefor choose not to be a part of it.
 * b) Why do you think people choose not to belong?**

The barriers that prevent people from belonging to the current rave culture are very few due the recent commercialization of raves. This has made belonging to this culture very easy and accessible, and now all you need to become a raver is a ticket to a rave. But, even though there are few, there still are barriers which may prevent people from belonging, these include age (as many raves are age restricted), and preference (whether you prefer to join this culture above others). The factor of acceptance doesn't present as much of a barrier to belonging in this culture as much as it may in other groups (e.g. surfies and cults) due to the fact that it is rare to not be accepted into, or at a rave because people generally attend raves in already well- defined groups of friends and generally won't interact with groups that they may not be accepted by, therefore the main barrier to belonging to the rave culture is preference- whether or not you want to have this represent you, and to be identified as a "Raver".
 * c) What are the barriers which prevent belonging in this way?**

The aspects of belonging to the rave culture reflect human experiences in the 21st century by exhibiting how strong the bond with friends is growing to be (demonstrated by the fact that people generally only attend raves with their friend groups due to the fact that they feel safe and accepted within the group, and may not otherwise), and also by showing how people of the 21st century are so strongly defined by the groups/ cultures they belong to- for example, a person who attends a Rave may be labelled as a raver, and also may be labelled with the stigmas by which a Raver is labelled- druggie, lad etc.
 * d) How does this aspect of belonging reflect human experiences in the 21st century?**