Reading For Pleasure among Urban Adolescents

Abstract

This study examines and understands the behavior of reading for pleasure among urban adolescents as part of a lifestyle from the perspective of cultural studies. This study found that the behavior of reading for pleasure developing among urban youth is not always a result of construction of the power by the capitalist culture industry through the publishing industry. The behaviors of reading for pleasure that is developing among urban adolescents can in general be divided into two groups, namely the pseudo-addictive readers and real-addictive readers. The definition of pseudo-addictive readers is the group of urban adolescents who read and choose the type of reading much influenced by the process of commodification of capitalist culture, in which they tend to read certain types of popular literature, both because of the influence of advertising support and other mass media. While the definition of real-addictive readers is the group of urban adolescents totally addicted to reading, not limited to just popular readings. For them the most important primary considerations in choosing reading is not because they want to make it solely as a means or "ticket" to enter the milieu of urban youth, but it is driven by the desire for pleasure and as an alternative to activities that are personally exciting.

Keywords: reading for pleasure, cultural studies, cultural industry, commodification of culture, lifestyle, pseudo-addictive, and real-addictive.