Contemporary Adulthood and the Night-Time Economy

This book examines the contemporary experiences of those dedicated drinkers who were at the forefront of the exciting new night-time leisure industries that revolutionized the way we think about and use our city centres. Now in their thirties and forties, these individuals represent a cohort that has been largely neglected in the swathes of literature that surround alcohol consumption and night-time leisure practices. The common assumption appears to be that individuals simply 'grow up' and 'grow out' of 'excessive' levels of alcohol consumption and adopt the characteristics of the socially-embedded and respectable 'adult'. However, the evidence presented here indicates that this view is misleading. Rather, the night-time leisure economy serves as a lens through which to view the relationship between global consumer capital and the erosion of 'traditional' adulthood. For committed consumers within the night-time economy, experiences appear to be shaped by a powerful historical trend that is destabilizing identity, cultivating narcissism, social competition and instrumentality, while essentially infantilizing a generation.

Oliver Smith is a Lecturer in Criminology at Plymouth University, UK.