A particular subculture and community is going to be considered in this essay. It is going to be the subculture of emo. The task is to define the main features of a community, its values and principles, a community’s organizational structure, and dynamics. In order to reach this goal, two informational sources are going to be used – interview of a member of a community and specific theoretical literature and reviews.

To begin with, it is worthwhile to provide some background information about the subculture that is going to be the subject of this research paper. Emo is the name of a young subculture that has developed recently as a successor of a certain style in music. The name of this subculture comes from the word emotional. That is why it is clear that the main thing for representatives of this subculture is emotions. They derive them from music, art, literature, etc. This type of subculture is popular among young teenagers – people from 13 to 17 years. However, it is possible to meet some elder people belonging to this culture.

Frankly speaking, this subculture is not really popular among the other ones. Emo-boys are especially considered as negative characters. They are considered weak individuals and even weepers. Of course, qualities of a typical emo are not considered as qualities of a typical man.

Like any other subculture, the analyzed one has some obvious features that differentiate it from the other subcultures and typical social groups in general. These features are embodied in their style of clothes, music to which they listen, attitude to the surrounding world, literature, places, where they spend time, etc. For example, they prefer black and pink clothes, sneakers, etc.; they like long dark hear and black nails. One of the interesting features of the subculture is that they try to eliminate the difference between a boy and a girl in style of clothes. Talking about behavior, one may notice that emo does not smoke, drink, or use drugs. They hold their ideals and express protest to the external world. That is why this subculture is quite depressive and even dangerous. Some additional information about the subculture under consideration can be received from the following quotation:

Initially defined as a genre of music, nowadays the cultural phenomenon that is Emo is much more than that encompassing its own set of fashion, style, behavior, and perspectives on life within the definition. The music is also significantly different to what was once classed as emo. These changes/evolution obviously are the subject of debate and anger “yesterdays true” emos. At the end of the day it is just a word that has horned its way into popular usage while shedding many of the qualities that originally defined it” (What is emo - Introduction to the emo scene community, 2011).

As it has been already mentioned, emo subculture has evolved from the style of music. In fact, it has been derived from punk. This style of music was invented in 50’s, and it still exists. The word emo-punk was first mentioned in the United States of America in 1985. The highest pace of this subculture was demonstrated in 90’s.

Now it would be reasonable to mention main features of this style and subculture. There are some principles of subculture. Among them, the following ones may be pointed out. First of all, emo should be sincere. It means that a person should truly believe in the values and principles of the subculture. A person should feel these values and live according to them. Moreover, there is no need in approval from society. Secondly, since the name of the subculture is derived from the word emotional, a true emo should be sensitive to the surrounding world. For example, it is important to be sensitive to the natural environment and animals. Thirdly, despite the fact of sensitivity to the surrounding world, a real emo should be disconnected. It means that an emo should behave like he/she does not care about the things that happen around. Finally, an emo is not a lonely person. A real emo should try to build strong relations and be the part of the broad emo community. In fact, it is worth paying closer attention to emo community at this stage of the research.

Representatives of the subculture under consideration, like any other one, usually create some communities where they can share their principles, values, and lifestyle. It has been already mentioned that one of the principles of emo subculture is building relations with their colleagues. Taking into account principles and values of the subculture, emo communities are usually very strong. One may talk about some local communities and also about global, international community of emo. Global community of emo is, of course, very large. It is quite difficult to talk about particular number of members, since such groups are not well organized. Local groups are not very large. Usually, such groups account for no more than 100 members. In addition, it is reasonable to say that emo communities are characterized with a high degree of group dynamics.

One of the reasons for uniting in a community is often negative attitude of society to them. This subculture is very provocative and causes aggression. Frankly speaking, they have to unite in order to defend themselves. This opinion can be proved by the following words:

Unfortunately, emos are also being targeted by mobs and being horrifically beaten in Mexico. These attackers are categorized as “anti-emo”. They have extreme hatred towards the emos because in their eyes, they are overly sensitive posers who steal from other musical genres. They also target emos because of the way they dress. In Mexico, this is seen as homosexual and a reason for the "emo-bashing (Among youth subcultures: The emo culture).

Any community is characterized by two issues. On the one hand, it is important to know how a community positions itself among the other people from society. On the other hand, there is an attitude of this community to the outsiders. An emo community sees itself as group of people who share similar values and principles and try to disconnect themselves from the surrounding world. It is always easier to undergo emotional experience together. There are no some strict and special limitations for the outsiders to become a member of a community. An outsider should share values of the subculture and prove his/her loyalty to a community.

Frankly speaking, the question how society sees an emo community is not topical. The reason for this is that this question does not bother emo. It has been already said a few times that one of the goals of emo is to disconnect from society. A real emo should not think about opinion of society concerningt his/her beliefs. It is really difficult for any person to be a member of such community, since social isolation may be too tough task for a person. Due to this reason I also would not like to be a member of an emo community.

Analyzing a typical emo community, the following important and interesting fact has been noticed. The biggest platform for creation of a community is Internet. Since there are no big and well-organized real communities, they try to share their principles and ideas via Internet. This opinion can be proved by the following words:

A marked difference for the emo generation is the internet. This is their community. One band in particular, “The Starting Line”, found there singer through the mp3.com website. The internet provides access to the latest bands and replaces the reliable friend who had a vast knowledge of music. As one fan put it: “I spent all of my free time online. All of it. It was eternally gratifying.” (Nothing Feels Good, page 272). It also helped bands like ‘Thursday’ become popular

(The emo subculture).

The interview has shown that there are no some specific procedures and traditions in an emo community. That is why one cannot talk about some standard and typical day of emo. In fact, emo should follow the mentioned principles of the subculture every day. A typical image of emo should be maintained in any area of social life.

Alas, sometimes emo communities may be dangerous for their own members. The subculture is usually associated with negative feelings and the principle of disconnection. For instance, it may be common for youths to try to commit suicide. They may do it, because there is a belief that after death, they will be regenerated in a better world. Suicide can be a way to escape emotional pain of a real life.

To conclude, it is worthwhile to say that the main features, principles, and values of emo subculture and community have been analyzed. This community is quite young subculture and is popular mainly among the young people – teenagers from 13 to 17 years. However, the subculture is very popular nowadays. It has been discovered that its main features are the following: a typical emo should be emotional and emotionally feel the surrounding world; on the other hand, a typical emo should be disconnected from society, since social opinion does not bother a real emo; emo has a particular and bright style of clothes and make up; the subculture of emo usually has quite negative and depressive character.

Emo-persons usually are united in a community. These communities are not well organized or large. It is difficult to talk about some degree of organization, since members of such communities are mainly teenagers. The main platform for creation and development of such community is Internet. They create special websites and chats where they are able to share opinions and values. Generally, there are no some limitations and obstacles to become a member of an emo community. A person should simply share values of emo and prove loyalty to a community. Membership is usually permanent and not associated with significant financial expenses. Teenagers simply do not have much money.