In 2016, the Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the singer and
songwriter Bob Dylan «for having created new poetic expressions within
the great American song tradition.» This suggests how important pop
music is in the contemporary society, and highlights how blurred are
traditional boundaries across all forms of art. Pop music is strictly
connected to mass media, mass culture, the youth universe, and its
languages. Pop/rock music is the bearer of new trends, while getting
influenced by social and cultural events. Rock reflects the world of
youth, its rituals and legends, and it represents an important tool to
socialize and get together. Popular culture is the turf where change
happens. Starting from the main theories about the sociology of music,
the aim of this book is to investigate social changes, youth cultures,
media, and pop music. It is a journey from the Beat Revolution to the
Bit Generation which is all about digital technologies and software
culture.