Music in the media: The

soundtrack behind the construction of identity EVEN RUUD Music, together with other aesthetic discourses, plays a central role in the life of the young as well as in much youth research. In the context of (sub)cultural studies, the use of music has been shown to reflect broader values or life orientations of the individual or member of the particular group in question. It could be argued that this same role is taken up by the young in general, i.e. that music has become a vital element in the construction of identity for today’s youth. To support such a statement a concept of music is needed which opens for an investigation of the role of music in identity formation. Further, amethodologicalrationaleis needed that will help untangle the discourses which lead from aesthetic enjoyment to the formation of identity. In the following, it is argued that music may be understood through the metaphor of a map which offers a mental representation of values, social formations and life orientations. Further, it is stated that it is within the particular discourse around thi