The future of regional/city identity/connections among the younger generation?

[Capsicum]

E.g. Gen Z and younger?

On the one hand, I've read those articles saying that there is less mobility (e.g. moving from state to state) these days vs. past generations.

But on the other hand, social media makes it easier to talk to people without physically being in the same city. Things like accents/slang/dress/food/cultural norms have become less regional in younger folks.

In some threads, there is talk about how legacy media (e.g. cross-border cities like Buffalo, NY/the Greater Toronto Area) still united major areas with TV and radio stations based on geographical proximity. So cultural/media closeness was linked to physical closeness. But kids these days likely do not have these links.

Yet, on the other hand there are situations where city/regional identities are growing stronger, not weaker with time. For example people still rep big cities all the time/their hometowns etc and being proud/bragging about whose city is better is a perennial pastime even in the social media age.

Also, trends in consolidation of jobs/densification of cities (also that even though remote work was a thing, most people still are united by a physical place like where they went to school, where they work etc.) mean that as long as people gather together in one place and spend much of their time/formative identities in them, attachment to sense of place will still be a thing.

What do you think?

[jmecklenborg]

I don't think that any of us understood how much our city's self-perception came from newspapers and local talk radio, or even FM radio publicity stunts. Those things, with all of their institutional knowledge, are gone now. That is to some extent a good thing in those places that had irrationally negative self-images, but in aggregate, it's a disaster.

[muertecaza]

I think sports will continue to be a big driver of regional identity. Some people talk about younger fans being fans of "players" more so than teams, but I perceive that as being the minority. I think most sports fans really identify with their home teams.

[hipster duck]

Toronto is fundamentally a different place to younger generations than to older generations. It's blacker and browner, has a local patois, it's a basketball city.

To older generations, Toronto is a city of hockey, Canadian stereotypes, and white, male cultural icons like Rush, the Kids in the Hall, Barenaked Ladies, etc.

[Crawford]

Yeah, I get that sense when I visit. To my 40+ GTA relatives, long-ensconced in relatively non-diverse burbs on the west side of town, it feels like the Canada I grew up with. But when I walk/travel around Toronto it feels much more brown, hyperdiverse, and doesn't really fit the Canada stereotypes. Not a lot of beer, hockey and Tims.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Yeah, I get that sense when I visit. To my 40+ GTA relatives, long-ensconced in relatively non-diverse burbs on the west side of town, it feels like the Canada I grew up with. But when I walk/travel around Toronto it feels much more brown, hyperdiverse, and doesn't really fit the Canada stereotypes. Not a lot of beer, hockey and Tims.

Agree on beer and hockey, but it seems pretty common to me in the GTA that you'll see brown guys with turbans in white vans stopping at Tim's for coffee and cheap/quick food.

[Capsicum]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

Toronto is fundamentally a different place to younger generations than to older generations. It's blacker and browner, has a local patois, it's a basketball city.

To older generations, Toronto is a city of hockey, Canadian stereotypes, and white, male cultural icons like Rush, the Kids in the Hall, Barenaked Ladies, etc.

But to what extent is this just Toronto experiencing some trends common to other places (in the English speaking or even western world more broadly, and in the US/North America more narrowly)? Some things are specific to Canada (e.g. basketball replacing hockey) but others more widespread (e.g. popularity of hip hop, first across the US and North America, then worldwide).

Increased racial diversity, increased global appeal of some kinds of mass culture (Black culture in the US but also international culture due to immigration).

You could say this about say London, England. Or many American cities between the 50s, 60s and say, the 90s?

[JManc]

Houston is certainly not the same city I remember as a kid in the 80's; it was predominantly white with the Urban Cowboy and JR Ewing vibe. Today, it's similar to how Toronto was described above; diverse, less stereotypically 'Texan' with hip hop being the dominant cultural force among most under 30-35.

Most cities in the US, Canada and probably Europe too tend to be following the same homogenization where they are more diverse and less tied to the regions they are in.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Capsicum

as long as people gather together in one place and spend much of their time/formative identities in them, attachment to sense of place will still be a thing.

What do you think?

I'm certainly trying my damn hardest to make my kids as "Chicago" as possible.

We talk about Chicago, being a Chicagoan, and the lives of their Chicago ancestors all the time.

I want them to be fully aware of how special they are. We are not like most Americans who just move here or there or everywhere for whatever reason. For us, this city is not just some temporary pit stop along one's "life journey"; it's not just something to experience for a period of time and then move on from once it's no longer convenient or desired. Rather, Chicago is foundational, as serious as a religion.

Chicago is more like a member of my family than it is a mere place to live.


Not so long ago, my son answered "Chicago" when asked what country we live in.

He wasn't wrong.

And I've never been more proud of him.


My kids are the 7th generation, and I dearly hope that at least one of them sticks around here long term to keep the line going, but that is not something I can ultimately control.

I guess I shoulda had more than two kids, whoops.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by JManc

Houston is certainly not the same city I remember as a kid in the 80's; it was predominantly white with the Urban Cowboy and JR Ewing vibe. Today, it's similar to how Toronto was described above; diverse, less stereotypically 'Texan' with hip hop being the dominant cultural force among most under 30-35.

It's still the most conservative big city/county in Texas by a long shot though.

Travis, Dallas, and El Paso seem to be far ahead of Houston in terms of evolution.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

It's still the most conservative big city/county in Texas by a long shot though.

Travis, Dallas, and El Paso seem to be far ahead of Houston in terms of evolution.

Fort Worth (Tarrant) is the most conservative and actually is conservative. Houston is left of center and has consistently remained this way for 30+ years. Harris County only flipped blue within the past 10 or so years. Houston will never go the way of Austin or even Dallas because the city limits encompasses huge swaths of more conservative leaning suburbs that would be separate cities in most other metros.

[craigs]

Originally Posted by JManc

Most cities in the US, Canada and probably Europe too tend to be following the same homogenization where they are more diverse and less tied to the regions they are in.

I didn't grow up in LA, but it's fair to say that it is quite different than what it was when I was a kid--and yet strangely the same. There were always massive populations of immigrants and racial/ethnic minorities, who have always played a big role in defining LA culture (especially food). And while those numbers have increased, it's not brand new to today's Zoomers. It's been an evolution. Meanwhile, LA still has the beaches and mountains, still has the weather, still has Hollywood and Beverly Hills, still has the freeway traffic jams and the parade of German steel roaring through the canyons, still has the mansions in the hills and the humbler homes in the flats. Life everywhere has been more homogenized by the Internet and iPhones and such, but LA is still fairly distinct on some levels, and the Zoomers who live here experience a lot of what prior generations have experienced.

[jmecklenborg]

Originally Posted by muertecaza

I think sports will continue to be a big driver of regional identity. Some people talk about younger fans being fans of "players" more so than teams, but I perceive that as being the minority. I think most sports fans really identify with their home teams.

The "player" thing started with the rise of ESPN and Sports Illustrated in the late 1980s. It was impossible to get regular information on out-of-town teams prior to ESPN's 24-hour coverage and the talking heads on Baseball Tonight and the other programs who picked favorite teams and picked favorite players. Over the years it devolved into Stephen A and Skip Bayless talking about Labron James for 55 hours a week, year after year.

[AviationGuy]

Originally Posted by JManc

Houston is certainly not the same city I remember as a kid in the 80's; it was predominantly white with the Urban Cowboy and JR Ewing vibe. Today, it's similar to how Toronto was described above; diverse, less stereotypically 'Texan' with hip hop being the dominant cultural force among most under 30-35.

Most cities in the US, Canada and probably Europe too tend to be following the same homogenization where they are more diverse and less tied to the regions they are in.

That's not the Houston I lived in off and on in the 70s and 80s. But whatever.

[AviationGuy]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

It's still the most conservative big city/county in Texas by a long shot though.

Travis, Dallas, and El Paso seem to be far ahead of Houston in terms of evolution.

Umm....no.

[xzmattzx]

Social media certainly does make culture and phrases national or global, but culture still can be regional. Ask someone in Los Angeles or Phoenix or Seattle what "jawn" means, for instance.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Capsicum

But to what extent is this just Toronto experiencing some trends common to other places (in the English speaking or even western world more broadly, and in the US/North America more narrowly)? Some things are specific to Canada (e.g. basketball replacing hockey) but others more widespread (e.g. popularity of hip hop, first across the US and North America, then worldwide).

Increased racial diversity, increased global appeal of some kinds of mass culture (Black culture in the US but also international culture due to immigration).

You could say this about say London, England. Or many American cities between the 50s, 60s and say, the 90s?

Part of it is likely due to Canadians having historical psychological hang-ups about being behind the times and not "with it". (Obviously related to cultural insecurity via the US.)

That's why domestic stuff like Canadian football, curling and even hockey (a little bit) now gets shunned in favour of flashy stuff like NBA.

Soccer also has a veneer of coolness and is rapidly ascendant in Canada, though since we are in North America it lacks the star power of the NBA that is propelled not just by the sport itself but by US celebrity news, social media, pop music and music videos, fashion, TV, movies, etc.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by AviationGuy

That's not the Houston I lived in off and on in the 70s and 80s. But whatever.

I've only lived there almost 35 years.

[isaidso]

Social media has been a game changer for Canada as its massively raised the country's profile around the world. Before the proliferation of social media, Canada was an international enigma due to the limited reach of traditional Canadian media. Foreigners have become far more connected to Canada/Canadian places.

Younger Canadians mirror older generations as Canadians have always been outward/global in their perspective due to our relative size. When you only have 39 million people, your gaze shifts to the world beyond. There's always been a balance between our connection to where we're from/where we live and the world beyond Canada.

[PhillyRising]

Originally Posted by xzmattzx

Social media certainly does make culture and phrases national or global, but culture still can be regional. Ask someone in Los Angeles or Phoenix or Seattle what "jawn" means, for instance.

I've live in the Philly area my whole life and never heard that term until the last 10-12 years and never heard anyone use it.