I can remember that my youth pastor would watch MTV to be in touch with youth culture. That was fifteen years ago. Well, MTV turns 25 tomorrow, and here’s a look at six ways it has helped contribute to an ever-changing youth culture, in my opinion.

Stick it to the man. Like Rock n’ Roll, MTV has always had the attitude of a rebel. They have been on the cutting edge, mocking institutions, and pushing the envelope with things that are not politically correct. MTV moved many issues to the forefront with their programming, including homosexuality and AIDS. MTV has been for the last 25 years filled with controversial issues that question authority, and they have also encouraged young people in that respect.

Short attention span. Quick cuts. Sound bytes. Little teasers. These have always been a part of MTV’s programming and style. Nothing lasts forever, or even much more than a second, in MTV’s world. This has attributed the way we do things. Today, most people, especially the MTV generation, can easily do two or more things at a time much better than trying to do one thing at a time. If something lasts too long, we tune out. Thanks to the splicing and cutting of videos shown on MTV.

Global Pop Culture. Music Television is not just an American brand. It has been exported all over the world, and along with it, there is now a global pop culture that exists in many nations. The branding, music, and idols have all been brought to even the most obscure nations. I remember sitting in a juvenile detention center in Costa Rica, talking in broken Spanglish to a young man about pop music. He knew more than I did about the American artists and English songs, thanks to the globalization of pop culture by MTV. There are now 27 International MTV websites. The channel reaches 400 million viewers in 167 countries, in 22 languages, giving us all our MTV, no matter where we live in the world.

Rebels With a Cause. Rock the Vote. Choose or Lose. Break the Addiction. MTV has also been a popular voice in social action, encouraging young people to vote, help out with social injustices, and speak their mind about different things that are happening in the world. Think MTV helps young people have a voice about topics of interest such as discrimination, education, and politics, while giving them a space to share their stories about these and other topics. Young people are interested in making a difference, and MTV has helped them in their quest to do so.

Visually-Oriented Art. The first ever video played on MTV was the Buggles’ Video Killed the Radio Star, and it certainly did. While MTV no longer plays as many videos as it once did, it certainly created a space on television for visual art. MTV allowed us to watch music and to get to know the people who make the music we listen to everyday. We get to visit their “Cribs” and see thier “Rides” while seeing how they made the videos to the songs we hear. You can even blame MTV for making reality TV so popular. What would we ever do without that? It could just be what is making Youtube so popular as the newest version of the ultimate in reality TV.

Interactivity. I wasn’t going to include this one, but it’s something that I believe is very valuable to young people: community. It has always been valuable, but MTV took community to another level. They created a space for the audience to interact with television and their favorite artists with TRL. They harnessed the expression of young people and allowed them to tell them what they wanted to watch.

No matter what your stance is on MTV, it has certainly influenced youth culture. For 25 years, young people have been tuning in to see what’s going on with Music Television. They are a pace-setter that is influencing the world. We should be sure to tune in and see what’s going on so we can be better equipped to serve the young people of our communities.

Related: MTV turns 25 by chron.com; Video Killed the Radio Star on Youtube.com; MTV International; MTV.com; ABC article

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