Emily Reynolds
Gosford High School
High Distinction
Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right: From Activism to Apathy- The decline in the popularity of protest songs since the 1960s.

The most disturbing factors contributing to the declining popularity of protest music uncovered in my investigation were the increasingly ubiquitous attitudes of apathy, selfishness and dispassion, combined with a diminishing political consciousness, evident across many factions of society, but particularly so amongst youths. These attitudinal trends have occurred due to a multitude of societal factors, most notably the shift to an individualistic culture, changing methods of protesting and the increasing influence of our consumerist culture. With such attitudes ingrained in society’s psyche, the future of the protest song is under threat. So too is social progression since youths have traditionally formed the regenerative base of protest and have been united and guided in the past by the ideologies disseminated through the music of artists such as Dylan, Springsteen, Seeger and Baez.

As one young adult stated - “People don’t think about global issues and can’t be bothered to protest. They just shift the responsibility, turning a blind eye to problems in society.” This current culture of abdicating responsibility and ignoring socio-political issues is a reflection of changing social values and attitudes and is demonstrated by the decline of the popularity of protest songs. My research suggests that youths are ignoring issues in their macro world, concentrating on more immediate problems in their micro world, reflective of our current focus on the individual in society. Furthermore, our increasing consumerist culture has enhanced accessibility to and hence exploitation by the media, desensitising youths and causing society to develop this ‘out of sight out of mind’ belief.

The future implication of this desensitisation is the emergence of a culture increasingly concerned with its micro world. The movement from a collective to a more individualistic society looks set to continue. Thus, the re-emergence of a 1960s-type counterculture underpinned by social consciousness and desire for reform and united in protest, is highly unlikely. Many are hoping for the resurgence of protest music to remedy the current social malaise, but this too seems an unlikely eventuality due to current behavioural and attitudinal trends. Moreover, with further formalisation of methods of protest, the role of protest songs may become more obsolete in the future, though globalisation and advancing technologies may open up more avenues for protest in the form of electronic activism, which will most likely continue to broaden in popularity. These, however, are silent and individual forms of protest and may well not have the political impact and potential to create change of protest music performed in a public forum. Increasing corporate power and media ownership in the music industry appear likely to steadily increase, which will continue to minimise people’s exposure to protest songs, removing them from the passion and fervour of traditional grassroots protesting. “Given that we are entering an era of even greater concentration of media ownership, it will become even harder to hear dissenting voices.”