Critical Investigation Task #5

Introduction – Critical Investigation

How accurately is youth culture represented in 'The Inbetweeners'?

Youth culture engages with issues concerning the wider world. It also points out that for young people to make sense of their identity and develop a sense of belonging. The issues for youth culture cultivate towards the issues of drinking, the seriousness towards education and changing attitudes towards society norms. These issues are most prominent in “The Inbetweeners” (2008) a sitcom which reflects youth culture with comedy purpose. The Inbetweeners is a differentiated comedy were the sexual jokes over-exaggerated for comedy purposes and hints at current issues which should be made aware in today’s society in order to create moral panic; this is evident through the themes of partying and drinking. It’s strongly debatable whether youth culture is a time for teenagers to “understand and navigate their way through the world” and The Inbetweeners present four independent male students through their school journey facing a variety of situation which are not just humorous but has a moral for the audience to learn from. The characters are seen to “occupy that twilight zone between adolescence and maturity” whereby they are in a liminal space of battling between two freedoms such as “the innocence of childhood” and “the financial independence of adulthood.” The Inbetweeners is the only franchise which accurately presents how British teenagers are in terms of their attitudes towards studies, work and taking on adult responsibilities, the social awkwardness of unreciprocated crushes and embarrassing drunken misdemeanours is something which almost everyone can relate to.