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IJARR, 5(12), 2020; 01-14
1
International Journal of Advanced Research and Review
www.ijarr.in
THE INFLUENCE OF ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ON THE LIFESTYLE
OF UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATES
Dr.Karunanayake, Danesh*1, Priyangi, H.W.N.2, Vimukthi, N.D.U3
1Ph.D. (Purdue), Department of Psychology, University of Peradeniya (20400), Sri Lanka. daneshk@pdn.ac.lk
2BA (Hons), Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
nishara993@gmail.com
3BA (Hons), Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
nduvimukthi@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Music is a lot like literature that can be pleasing, enlightening, and changing the inner sense
of life and is a compass helping us identify valuables categories in a wide area. Alternative
rock that includes elements of punk, folk music, and heavy metal is a broad category of music
that is usually thought of as somewhat out of the mainstream. In Sri Lanka, we can recognize
a set of disciples that are interested in alternative music. Among them, university
undergraduates are one of the most important sets of disciples because they have a different
reading about Arts compared to others. So the current study aims to explore the influence of
Alternative music on the lifestyle of university undergraduates. Five participants were
selected by using a purposive sample technique from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
Semi-structured interviews wereconducted for data collection and analyses of the data were
conducted through thematic analysis. The result suggests that alternative music causes a
change in the different perspectives on the lifestyle of university undergraduates like
increased drug usage; different ideas and attitudes about sexual behavior, married life and
love; political views about current society; and cultural acceptance. The current research will
help open new research areas for Sri Lankan researchers who are interested in this field. More
research is needed to get a complete understanding of this topic in the Sri Lankan context.
Keywords: Alternative music, University Undergraduate, Lifestyle
INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW
Music is a lot like literature that can be pleasing, enlightening, and changing the inner sense
of life. We can‘t get the true shape, color, or definition of music. It has no boundaries or
guidelines and it is like a form of expression. Music is a compass in a wide area and we can
identify valuable categories init. Alternative music is an umbrella term used to describe music
that is not played on mainstream radio or consumed by the mainstream audience, or whose
music does not fall into any other genre[1].Alternative rock is a broad category of music that
is usually thought of as somewhat out of the mainstream that includes elements of various
types like punk, heavy metal, and folk music [2].This musical term had originated sometime
around the mid-1980s and was an extension of the phrases "new music" and "postmodern
music". It does not refer to any particular musical style but connotes an underground status
on an independent record label[3]. In Sri Lanka, we can recognize a set of disciples that are
interested in alternative music. They have their own lifestyle.
IJARR, 5(12), 2020; 01-14
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Lifestyle is the interests, opinions, behaviors, and behavioral orientations of an individual,
group, or culture. The term lifestyle was introduced by Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler[4]
as ―a person's basic character as established early in childhood‖ in his 1929 book "The Case
of Miss R.". The broader sense of lifestyle as a "way or style of living" has been documented
since 1961. Lifestyle is a combination of determining intangible or tangible factors[5].
Tangible factors relate specifically to demographic variables, i.e. an individual's demographic
profile, whereas intangible factors concern the psychological aspects of an individual such as
personal values, preferences, and outlooks[6]. Among alternative music followers, university
undergraduates are important disciples because they have a different reading about Arts[7].
The current study aims to explore the influence of Alternative music on the lifestyle of
university undergraduates and focuses on five themes: Drugs; Sex; Culture; Politics and
Fashion to measure the lifestyle changes of disciples.
Alternative Music
There are many articles related toAlternative music. Alternative rock is a broad category of
music that is usually thought of as somewhat out of the mainstream and the categories
include folk, heavy and punk rock,etc. [8]. Alternative rock (also called alternative music, alt-
rock, or simply alternative) is a style of rock music. In its purest sense, Alternative Music is
the opposite of Pop music[9]. However, ‗Alternative‘ has become an umbrella term for
describing new rock music. Modern Rock is probably a better description. Alternative
embodies many sub-genres including Indie Rock, Alt Folk, Gothic, Brit-Pop, Alt, Country,
Shoegazer, Nü-Metal, Grunge, Punk, Emo, new wave, Post-Rock and dozens more [10].
The roots of Alternative music go back to the late 1960s with bands like ‗The Velvet
Underground, Iggy and the Stooges, MC5, The Silver Apples‘, and many more. These bands
fused art and intellectualism along with counterculture ideals with rock and roll. The trend
continued throughout the 1970s with bands like David Bowie, T-Rex, Can, Neu, Kraftwerk,
Television, and The New York Dolls[8].Alternative music was now a big money maker and
suddenly, Alternative was the thing to be.Most of what gets called Alternative today is very
much mainstream popular music. Many people have come to resent the words Alternative
Music, since everything, good or bad, seems to get called alternative. However, there are still
Independent Record labels and artists out there who demonstrate the alternative spirit of art
and intellectualism[8].
Alternative music and lifestyle
There are only a limited number of research studies that are related to Alternative music and
lifestyle. These research studies are very important to get an idea about Alternative music and
lifestyle. Among them, the most relevant research based on important aspects of lifestyle, are
mentioned below.
Alternative music and drugs use
Kavanaugh and Anderson [11] researched Solidarity and Drug Use in the Electronic Dance
Music Scene. The drug use-solidarity relationship is substantially more complicated than
prior scholarship has articulated[12]. Their discoveries provide clarification of this
relationship as well as advance the literature on solidarity, collective identity, youth culture,
and music scenes.Herd, [13] conducted research on changes in drug use prevalence in rap
music songs. He focusedon the role of changing images of drug use in rap music from the
1970s to the 1990s. The results of this research showthe songs concerning drugs increased
over 6–fold and those exhibiting positive attitudes and consequences from drugs rose
substantially and that reference to particular drug types changed significantly. A potential
IJARR, 5(12), 2020; 01-14
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explanation of the increasing focus on drug use in rap music may include the rise of the drug
war, changes in the drug use habit of rappers and listeners, rise of gangster‘s rap and other
rap music genres, and changing social images of drugs in American society.
Rock and roll lifestyle was popularly associated with sex and drugs [14; 12]. Many of the
rock and roll's early stars (as well as their jazz and blues counterparts) were known as hard-
drinking, hard-living characters. During the 1960s the lifestyles of many stars became more
publicly known, aided by the growth of the underground rock press. As the stars' lifestyles
became more public, the popularity and promotion of recreational drug use by musicians may
have influenced the use of drugs and the perception of acceptability of drug use among the
youth of the period.In the late 1960s and early 1970s, much of the rock and roll cachet
associated with drug use dissipated as rock music suffered a series of drug-related deaths,
including the 27 Club-member deaths of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison.
Although some amount of drug use remained common among rock musicians, greater respect
for the dangers of drug consumption was observed, and many anti-drug songs became part of
the rock lexicon, notably "The Needle and the Damage Done" by Neil Young in 1972 [15].
Many rock musicians, including John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia,
Stevie Nicks, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Bon Scott, Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, Brian
Wilson, Kirk Hammett, etc., have acknowledged battling addictions to many substances
including alcohol, cocaine, and heroin; many of these have successfully undergone drug
rehabilitation programs, but others have died[16]
Alternative music and sex
Stevenet.al. [17] did research about exposure to Degrading Versus Non-Degrading Music
Lyrics and Sexual Behavior among Youth. The previous longitudinal studyhas linked music
video consumption and riskysexual behavior, no previous study has tested longitudinal
associations between the content of music lyrics and subsequent changes in sexual
experiences such as intercourse initiation, nor has any study explored whether exposure to
different kinds of portrayals of sex has different effects[17]. From that research, they tried to
study the longitudinal association between the content of music lyrics and subsequent change
of their sexual experience. Participants reported their sexual experience and responded to
measures of more than a dozen factors known to be associated with adolescent sexual
initiation. Results mention that listening to music with degrading sexual lyrics is related to
advances in a range of sexual activities among adolescents, whereas this does not seem to be
true of other sexual lyrics. The resultsare consistent with the sexual-script theory and suggest
that cultural messages about expected sexual behavior among males and females may
influence their sexual behavior[14].
A new research study discovered that teenagers who prefer popular songs with degrading
sexual references were more likely to engage in intercourse or pre-coital activities[18]. As a
result of the research findings, researchers and public health officials are looking for those
factors that might increase sexual activity in teens. The study demonstrated that among this
sample of young adolescents, high exposure to lyrics describing degrading sex in popular
music was independently associated with higher levels of sexual behavior [18].Exposure to
lyrics describing degrading sex was one of the strongest associations with sexual activity.
Participants were exposed to over 14 hours each week of lyrics describing degrading sex.
About one-third had previously been sexually active. Compared to those with the least
exposure to lyrics describing degrading sex, those with the most exposure were more than
IJARR, 5(12), 2020; 01-14
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twice as likely to have had sexual intercourse. The relationship between exposure to lyrics
describing degrading sex and sexual experience held equally for both young men and women.
Alternative music and Culture
Kruse[19] has recently observed Subcultural Identity in Alternative Music Culture. An
ethnographic, or micro-sociological, analysis of music scenes allows us to get a sense of the
plurality of practices that help constitute the identities of those involved. Assertions that
claim, for instance, that rock culture allows youths to enact ever-changing sexual and
gendered identities in a space of radically conflicting social messages is called into question
when actual lived experiences are examined. While social identities are not fixed once and
for all, we must keep in mind that at any historical moment within a particular cultural or
subcultural context there are not an infinite number of options for experiencing identity
[19;20].
Alternative music identities are constituted in scenes such as which Cohen and
Lashua[21]observes of Liverpool. These particular subcultural formations are not defined
only by musical taste and knowledge; race, class, and gender are also important as points
which intersect with taste in music. The drummer for the Raleigh, North Carolina band the
Connells is black; what is notable in discursive constructions of the band in the music press is
the degree to which his African-American-ness is effaced. Female musicians are more
conspicuous than black musicians in college music; but as one woman involved in the indie
scene argues women learn the art of transference that everybody in indie rock is a boy.
Nothing about the social and economic organization of alternative music necessarily seeks to
subvert the white, patriarchal structures of the mainstream music establishment. But what
college, alternative, independent music does do is enable subcultural participants who are
largely members of the post-baby boom generation to draw a boundary between themselves
and the omnipresent baby boomers; to refuse definitions imposed on them and to reject the
assumption that the twentysomething generation, must galvanize behind some cause' deemed
acceptable by ex-members of the 'authentic' youth culture of the 1960s.North and
Hargreaves‘ [22],researchedwhether Lifestyle choices such as relationships, living
arrangements, beliefs, and crimecorrelate with musical preference.They concluded that
participants' musical preferences provided a meaningful way of distinguishing different
lifestyle choices.
Alternative music and politics
Notable punk rock bands, such as Crass, Conflict, Sex Pistols, The Clash, Dead Kennedys,
Black Flag, Refused, American Standards, Discharge, MDC, Aus-Rotten, Anti-Flag, and
Leftover Crack have used political and sometimes controversial lyrics that attack the
establishment, sexism, capitalism, racism, speciesism, colonialism, and other phenomena
they see as sources of social problems.Since the late 1970s, punk rock has been associated
with various left-wing or anti-establishment ideologies, including anarchism and
socialism.[23; 24;25]
Punk's DIY culture held an attraction for some on the Left, suggesting an affinity with the
ideals of workers' control, and empowerment of the powerless (though it is arguable that the
punk movement's partial focus on apathy towards the establishment, combined with the fact
that in many situations, punk rock music generated income for major record companies, and
the notable similarities between some strains of anarchism and capitalism, meant that the
punk movement ran contrary to left-wing ideologies) - and the genre as a whole came, largely
through the Sex Pistols, to be associated with anarchism.[26; 27]
IJARR, 5(12), 2020; 01-14
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The sincerity of the early punk bands has been questioned - some critics saw their referencing
of revolutionary politics as a provocative pose rather than an ideology - but bands such as
‗Crass‘ and ‗Dead Kennedys‘ later emerged who held strong anarchist views, and over time
this association strengthened, as they and The Clash are regarded as pioneers of political
punk, and were seen to represent a progressive, socialistic worldview compared to the anti-
social or nihilistic attack of many early punk bands. Partly inspired by the 1960s protest
music such as the MC5, their stance influenced other first and second wave punk/new wave
bands such as The Jam, The Ruts, Stiff Little Fingers, Angelic Upstarts, TRB, and Newtown
Neurotics, and inspired a lyrical focus on subjects such as racial tension, unemployment,
class resentment, urban alienation, police violence, as well as imperialism. Partially credited
with aligning punk and reggae[28], The Clash's anti-racism helped to cement punk's anti-
fascist politics, and they famously headlined the first joint Rock Against Racism (RAR)/Anti-
Nazi League (ANL) carnival in Hackney, London, in April 1978[29].The RAR/ANL
campaign is credited with helping to destroy the UK National Front as a credible political
force, aided by the support received from punk and reggae bands.
Alternative music and Fashion
The study of behavior and music shows that music has an eccentric influence on fashion as
manifested by the trends emulated by youths and other members of the society [15].Berger,
Heath & Ho [30] said that within the society it is also important to note that its members have
different tastes and preferences for various kinds of music. Fashion can be defined as the
mirror of what society thinks and does within a certain time[15].An integral part of the social
environment and cannot be avoided. It also influences how young people grow up and
ultimately contributes to the setting of various societal norms [15]. This is seen as a way that
creates excitement and alters how an individual, especially teenagers dress and decide to
emulate the dressing code of a particular singer.
Music and fashion are one entity and they go hand in hand[17]. He used an example of the
seventies where there was spontaneous freedom in the choice of music that was attractive to
the youthful population of the time. During that time, people went for the outfits that would
make one look disco-like and contrasts the ones of the nineties. Blackwell and Stephan in the
book ―Brands that Rock‖ have used Madonna as a perfect example to bring in the fact that
music influences everything and fashion cannot be left out [15]. They explain that music
hypnotizes everybody and this relates to Madonna‘s fashion of KISS. They have indicated
that Sims [31] in his book Rock Fashion illustrates and explains the fashion trends that have
accompanied the changing times of rock music. Jones in his book ―Fashion Design‖
expresses music as an inspiration to the world of fashion since designers are forced in one
way or another to be creative and follow the fashion details and fabrics that would fit the
listener market for a particular genre of music. He points out that a good fashion designer
goes with the music of the time if he/she has to make good sales [32]. Fashion designers and
marketers are fully aware of the effect of music on their products and they can only be able to
maximize their sales by coordinating it with music. It is also important to mention the fact
that people are placed in a particular stereotypical image due to the music that they listen to
and the clothes they put on.
There are only a few research studiesthat are related to Alternative music streamsatthe
international level and many of them considered the relationship of Alternative music with
drug use and sexual behavior. Alternative music is a new research area in Sri Lanka and there
are no research studies in the Sri Lankan context on how alternative music impacts an
individual‘s lifestyle. In this research, wetry to study the lifestyle of Sri Lanka University
IJARR, 5(12), 2020; 01-14
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undergraduates who listens to Alternative music. We believe that this research may helpSri
Lankan researchers who havean interest in this area.
METHODOLOGY
The research used the purposive sampling technique and a sample of five participants
including two females and three males were selected from the University of Peradeniya. The
sample was selected purposely by paying attention to the participant who listens to
Alternative music. The students who volunteered to participate in the research were asked to
first fill out the consent form. All five interviews were conducted at the university premises.
With the consent of the participants, a portable recorder was used to record the interviews.
The interview was conducted in Sinhala so that participants were able to express their
experience in the language that they are most fluent in and familiar with.
The method of data collection was semi-structured interviews. The interviews were
conducted with a pre-planned set of questions related to the research topic to capture the
relevant and valid information in the participant‘s experiences. All five interviews were
conducted on one onone basis. Although all five participants were interviewed using the same
set of questions a great deal of flexibility was adopted and the participants were freely
allowed to explain their opinion and ideas on the research topic. Each interview lasted for
about 30 to 40 minutes. Participants were allowed to express themselves and allowed to ask
for any clarification of questions if they did not understand what information is being sought.
The non-verbal cues such as the tone of voice, body postures, and facial expressions were
also examined during the interviews.
Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Ethical guidelines were practiced in the
present research. Participants were given an informed consent form inclusive of objectives,
duration, and procedure of the research.Participants who volunteered to participate were
interviewed andensured that participants were not physically or psychologically harmed. The
researchersgave priority to participants ‗rights and welfare, respected participants‘ freedom to
withdraw from the research at any time, andensured the confidentiality and security of the
information gathered from the interview at all times.
RESULTS
In this study, the object was to identify Alternative music‘s influence on the lifestyle of Sri
Lankan university undergraduates. The analysis of the study was divided into five themes:the
relationship between drugs and alternative music; the relationship between sex and
alternative music;the relationship between culture and alternative music;the relationship
between politics and alternative music and, finally the relationship between fashion and
alternative music. Most of the themes were themes predicted before coding the interview
questions. The researcher transcribed all the collected data at the beginning of the data
analysis process. The letter ―P‖ was used to represent the participants.
Themes of the research
To study Alternative music and their lifestyles we have to identify the themes that have
changed because of alternative music. It provides an opportunity to understand how
alternative music affects lifestyles based on these five themes. According to the participants‘
responses, we can identify the following themes.
IJARR, 5(12), 2020; 01-14
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Table 01: participants’ response to Alternative music and lifestyle
Participa
nts
Themes of research
View of drug
View of sex
View of
culture
View of
politics
View of
fashion
Chan
ge
Not
chan
ge
Chan
ge
Not
chan
ge
Chan
ge
Not
chan
ge
Chan
ge
Not
chan
ge
Chan
ge
Not
chan
ge
P1
P2
P3
P4
P5
Total-05
3/5
2/5
4/5
1/5
5/5
0/5
5/5
0/5
4/5
1/5
Participants gave different responses about each theme based on the questionsasked of them.
According to their responses, we concluded whether their views on drugs, sex, culture,
politics, and fashion hadchanged or not. Findingsshowed the following two themes, views of
culture and politics, had the highest impactfrom alternative music.
All participants mentioned that listening to alternative music changed their views on politics
and culture.Four out of five participants accepted that alternative music changed their views
of sex and fashion.The majority of participants (3/5) also accepted that alternative music
changed their views on drugs.
View of Drugs
Three out of five participants accepted that listening to alternative music changed their views
on drugs. They believe drugs don‘t have any negative effects and that it is a very personal and
calming activity comparable to engaging in religious activity. They think that alternative
musicians are open-minded and that they haven‘t any kind of life barriers. Because of that,
they believed that they also have to be open to drugs. Some participants used drugs while
listing to alternative music to make them happy.
P1- Alternative music listeners are open to every social situation. So, I think they are open to
drugs also.
P2- I think it is a personal matter like worshiping a religion. Religion is also like a drug.
Drugs become one alternative when we perceive the world with an open mind.
P3- Before I hadn’t any desire for drugs. But when I move with this culture, drugs become
anormal thingfor me. We enjoy Alternative music and drugs help to make it more enjoyable.
View of Sex
Four participants revealed that alternative music changed their views of sex. When we
consider their responses, they have a different idea about love, marriage, and sex. They think
love and marriage are something stupid that is done by foolish people. They don‘t want to
become marriedto do sex. According to their view, sex is an essential basic need that
someone has to fulfill.
P1- Love is something stupid that is done by foolish people. But sex is very important. Love
or marriage is not necessary for sex.
P2- When we perceive the world with anopenmind,sex becomes only a need.
IJARR, 5(12), 2020; 01-14
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P3- Before I had different ideas about sex. But when I moved to Alternative music it becamea
simple physical activity.
P4- Sex does not applyto marriage. We have a right to decide whether we are gay, lesbian, or
another sexual category.
View of culture
All the participants accepted that Alternative music changed their views of culture. Because
of alternative music, they stated that they started perceiving culture from different angles and
without a frame. They believed that alternative music gave a different reading about society
and the cultural context. Sometimes the lyrics also helped change their view.
P1- When we listen to a modern song we do not get a different attitude about culture. But
alternative songs establish different ideas about normal social context.
P2- The lyrics of alternative music are highly criticalof the current cultural context. With
time we came to believe what they say.
P3- We start to see social problems critically in the university better than in other social
centers. When we started listing to alternative music, our ideas change.
P4- If the society is home then alternative music is not focused on discussing its beauty.
Rather, they discuss the defects of the home.
View of politics
Just as for the view of cultureall the participants accepted that listening to alternative music
changed their political views. Theydiscussed the negative aspects of the current political
conditions and think it must be changed.
P1- Alternative music was instrumental in changing the Caribbean political system. So, I
think alternative music can change the view of politics. It is not possible to assess whether
there is a political interpretation of the Sri Lankan political system.
P2- Listing to alternative music causes to motivate me to criticize current political conditions.
P3- Most Alternative music followers have the same political views. From alternative music,
it becomes more powerful.
View of Fashion
Four out of five participants revealed that alternative music changed their view of fashion.
Most of the participantswear very simple and relaxed clothes (Denims, t-shirts, long
hairstyles).
P1- We become a separate group from others by listening to alternative music. Our social
notions also differ from others. Sometimes outer appearance also changed because of that.
P2- This is a society where if we have long hair or do not shave we are labeled as drug users.
Normally I am a simple guy. It appears even from my clothes.
P3- By following alternative music our beliefs change. It is normal. It can appear from the
appearance also.
As the results indicatealternative music changes the lifestyle of university undergraduates
with main changes happening on increasing sensitivity about the political view of the current
society, cultural acceptance, drug usage, different ideas and attitudes about sexual behaviors,
and finally, their view on appearance based on fashions.
IJARR, 5(12), 2020; 01-14
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DISCUSSION
The study revealed that alternative music changesthe lifestyles of the university
undergraduateon five themes based on the analysis of responses of the five participants.
View of drugs
Three out of five participants accepted that alternative music has changedtheir views on
drugs. They don‘t believe that it has any negativity and that it isa very personal and calming
activity. They think the alternative musicians are open-minded and that they don‘t haveany
kind of life barriers. Hence, they believe that they have to be open to drug use. To make them
happy they used drugs while listing to alternative music.
Many undergraduates use drugs for different reasons. Maintaining peer associations is a very
important reason[33]. Some use drugs to keep up their appearance. Because of peer pressure,
some undergraduates use drugs.
These issues may influence alternative musicians too to use drugs. The musicians have a lack
of relationships, especially long term romantic relationships with others. Because of that, they
don‘t havemany responsibilities and duties. Past research also shows that alternative music
causes more acceptance of drug use.
View of sex
According to data four participants revealed that alternative music changed their views of
sex. They revealed that they have a different idea about love, marriage, and sex than normal
people. Generally, as a girl or a boy, we have some wishes about marriage and future
intentions with partners. But according to the participant's responses, they think love and
marriage are a stupid thing done by foolish people. They don‘t want to be married toengage
in sex.According to them, sex is abasic and essential need that someone needs to fulfill. They
said that they started seeing sexas a simple physical activity after they began to listen to
Alternative music. Alternative musicians have limited boundaries concerning sex. They
accept sexual relationships that society normally does not accept. As an example,
Homosexuality is not acceptable in Sri Lankan society. But according to participants,if
someone wants to havesex with a same sex partner it is not wrong or not a cause for guiltasit
is their right. They don‘t like normal lifestyles with responsibilities, rules, regulations, and
relationships. They always give priority to their freedom. These beliefs affect their views
about sexuality. They think that marriage life will restrict their freedom and that their
lifestyles willcompletely change. Hence, they give attention to sex without marriage.Previous
research also attests to these findings.
Martino, Collins, Elliott Strachman, Kanouse, and Berry [34] researchedexposure to
degrading versus non-degrading music lyrics and sexual behavior among youth. Their
resultsindicate that listening to music with degrading sexual lyrics is related to advances in a
range of sexual activities among adolescents, whereas this does not seem to be true of other
sexual lyrics. This result is consistent with the sexual-script theory and suggests that cultural
messages about expected sexual behavior among males and females may underlie the
effect[35].
We gain a different perspective about sex, love,and marriage through songs, poems, dramas,
films, and other sources. Alternative music gives more exposure to and a different reading
about sex changingthe views of its followers. The changes in viewscause changes in their
behaviors.
IJARR, 5(12), 2020; 01-14
10
View of Culture
According to the results all the participant (5/5) accepted that alternative music causes to
change their cultural views. According to their answers, they believe that because of
alternative music, they started perceiving culture froma different angle without a frame. Some
participants revealed that lyrics, themes, and the music of alternative songs have causedthem
to change their viewsof culture.Experiences of people also impact to motive them to follow
alternative music and conform to their cultural views. Personality types and traits have a high
influence on following alternative music and a person‘s views. Most Alternative musicians
have extroverted and open personality characteristics. University hasits‘ own sub-cultural
concepts. It mostly differs from mainstream cultural concepts. We can identify different
rules, regulations, values, and norms in this university subculture.
Most of the participants mentioned that the current cultural concept should be changed. They
think attentive music communicates with each other. Sometimes this alternative music
changed modern cultural concepts also. It has been shown in past research also. Gibson
[36]proved that the emergence ofalternate musicon the New South Wales Far North Coast as
a niche cultural industry is connected to economic and social transformations (also known as
the ‗Northern Rivers‘ region). The various images of the New South Wales Far North Coast
as a ‗lifestyle‘ region, ‗alternative‘ locale, and ‗coastal‘ retreat have attracted a diverse mix of
ex–urban professionals, unemployed persons, youth subcultures, backpacker tourists, and
retirees.It offers some of the complexities underpinning contemporary urban–regional change
in Australia and provides a cautious assessment of the capacity of the cultural industries to
reinvigorate rural economies. This study shows how popular alternate music can change
economic and social transformations.
The researcher Bennett [37], mentioned that these particular subcultural formations are not
defined only by musical taste and knowledge; race, class, and gender clearly are also
important points which intersect with taste in music. According to participant answers, they
do not acceptdifferences in cast, race, religion, and gender. Previous researches, as mentioned
above, discuss how alternative music affects to change cultural views of its listeners and
substantiate the claims made by the participants of the present study.
View of Politics
There is a strong relationship between alternative music and politics. According to the results
obtained, five out of five participants accepted that alternative music changed their political
views. Participants mentioned that alternative music changed the political conditions of some
countries. As an example, alternative music was instrumental in changing the Caribbean
political system. In Sri Lanka, we find some alternative songs that criticized current political
conditions. An example is the song of Chintaka Githadewa called ―Nil ahasthale‖. It
communicates some negative issues about the current political systems.
The university undergraduates have different political beliefs. Someof them have political
exposure from their families and some formed their political views through university life.
After that, they engage in activitiesthatare suitable for their political beliefs. Alternative
music is one activity that select people who have the same political beliefs. Alternative music
helps to improvetheir ideas. Some undergraduateswho are used to listening to alternative
music enterinto political groups or gangs and maintain their political personality. Alternative
music gives different exposures about current political conditions through the lyrics of the
songs. As young followers, they observe these different explanations better than others.
IJARR, 5(12), 2020; 01-14
11
Past researches also proved that in the late 1970s, punk rock has been associated with various
left-wing or anti-establishment ideologies, including anarchism and socialism[38]. Punk's
DIY culture held an attraction for some on the Left, suggesting an affinity with the ideals of
workers' control, and empowerment of the powerless[39].The Jam, The Ruts, Stiff Little
Fingers, Angelic Upstarts, TRB, and Newtown Neurotics inspired a lyrical focus on subjects
such as racial tension, unemployment, class resentment, urban alienation, and police violence,
as well as imperialism[16].
View of Fashion
Four out of five participants accepted that alternative music changed theirsense of fashion.
Alternative music has a separate culture. According to their culture, they use simple fashions.
They always try to do the opposite of cultural norms. In the Sri Lankan culture, we believed
that if we want to be respectable we have to wear proper attire. We are supposedto shave,
have short-cropped hair, and wear a shirt with a tie and trousers.It comes from our colonial
past and our continuing western ideals. The alternative musical culture criticizes it. Because
of that the participantsdo not shave and have long hair.
Fashion is one of many outlets for personal expression. The term alternative fashion is
associated with subcultures like grunge, Goth, street, steampunk, punk, and hipster. Although
alt fashion encompasses many different genres, each style, at least for a time, stood apart
from the mainstream and the mass appeal of commercial fashion. Members of these
subcultures have been related to a disinterest in common moral order and a revolt against the
social structure, social class, mass production, and behavior restrictions. These days there are
many alternative music choices, and even these are being reinvented every day. As with any
new style, what began as a revolt against the mainstream can catch the eye of the masses and
become a popular trend. Many of those who utilized modern alternative fashion may not
identify with any of the concepts that originally inspired the style.
The relationship between fashion and popular music is one of abundant and mutual creativity.
Reciprocal influences have resulted in some of the most dynamic apparel visualizations ever
created in popular culture. Three collaborations exist. One is when fashion designers and
entertainment celebrities engineer fashion to fit a declared project. Another collaboration
occurs when youth subcultures articulate themselves through fashion. The outcome of many
associations of the performance and the designer or stylist is usually a confirmation of the
extant youth subcultural fashion. Rathernew perspectives, new methods, new resonances of
fashions are made when fashion and music are linked to subcultural expression.
CONCLUSION
The studyrevealed that alternative music changesthe lifestyles of university undergraduates.
According to the results, five outof five participants accepted that listening to alternative
music changed their view of politics,and also five out of five participants accepted that
alternative music changed their culturalviews. Therefore, there is a strong relationship
between alternative musicfollowers and cultural and political views. Four out of five
participants accepted that alternative musicchanged their viewson sex and fashion. The
majority of participants (3/5) also accepted that alternative musicchanged their views on
drugs. Finally,we can conclude that participants, in general, accepted thatalternative music
changedtheir undergraduate lifestyles on the abovefive themes.
IJARR, 5(12), 2020; 01-14
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