THE INFLUENCE OF FESTIVITY AT THE STRAWBERRY MUSIC FESTIVAL ON YOUTH VALUES
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Abstract
This study aims to analyze the impact of festivity on youth identity transformation and value formation, and to develop the Festivity-Identity-Community-Value (FICV) Model to explain this process. A qualitative approach was adopted to capture in-depth experiences, interpretive processes, and symbolic meanings that are difficult to measure quantitatively. Data were collected through document analysis, limited participant observation, and content analysis of online/social media. The case study focused on the Strawberry Music Festival in Shanghai and Beijing in 2019, selected because of its strong emphasis on youth, independence, and creativity, its high popularity, and its location in major cultural and economic hubs with dense youth populations. The findings identify three key dimensions: 1) Festivity, which creates a special environment through themes, rituals, stage settings, and collective atmosphere, fostering openness and new value learning; 2) Identity Transformation, arising from the shift from audience to participant, peer affirmation, and symbolic communication both offline and online, enhancing self-confidence and expression; and 3) Community Belonging, generated through shared experiences, cultural identification, and new social networks. These processes have short-term effects, such as openness to diversity, and long-term outcomes, such as social bonding and sustaining desirable values. The findings align with international theories of liminality and collective effervescence, but extend existing knowledge by contextualizing them within contemporary Chinese music festivals. Ultimately, the FICV Model is proposed as a framework for festival design, value communication, and collaboration with education and community sectors to foster positive youth values in a complex and rapidly changing society.
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