Forever legit? Ju­gend­trends in Deutsch­land

This year’s Reeperbahn Festival theme, “Forever Legit?”, views younger generations not merely as a passive audience but as active co-creators of the technologies, platforms, values, and cultural relevance that define the music ecosystem. This presents an excellent opportunity to discuss the sentiments accompanying this shift. Following an introduction, we speak with social researcher Dr. Kilian Hampel—author of the trend study *Jugend in Deutschland* (Youth in Germany)—about insights into consumption habits and the working conditions that will motivate the younger generation in the future. In conversation with him and cultural trend scout Isabelle Rogat, we also examine whether seamless consumption, personalized algorithms, addictive dopamine hits, the compulsive urge to scroll, AI-generated pseudo-content, and all the seemingly all-powerful tools of the streaming and social media landscape are really guaranteed to dominate the market, the fans, and the industry’s future.