are we refusing to grow up? what does this mean?

In perpetually liminal, Danah Boyd ponders delayed adolescence, rites of passage, and changing expectations for young people:

"When the idea of teenagers was created during the depression, schooling became mandatory. In some senses, this was ideal because it meant that a larger portion of the population was prepared for the future. But over time, a high school diploma no longer served as a ticket to a better life. And then it was college. And then it was graduate school. What next? And what about the fact that we no longer have a construct of "success" for working class kids? By removing unions and life-long well-paying factory gigs and government jobs with pensions, we've turned "success" into a game that can only be acquired through pre-existing privilege or a lottery (becoming a 'star'). This really marginalizes a huge chunk of today's youth culture. What if you aren't really meant to be college bound? What then?"

Very solid comments on the post as well -- worth reading.