Young People, Civic Participation, and the Internet

Abstract

This article discusses the socio-political and theoretical background of the literature on the question as to whether the internet promotes young people's internet-based civic participation; which main strands of empirical research on that issue have emerged over the years; and in what ways and for what reasons different forms of knowledge that have been produced by extant research seem to be intrinsically incompatible. The suggested directions for future research should alleviate those tensions between the divergent forms of knowledge, and alter the standardized narratives in the literature about youth's online civic participation, which, as a partial artifact of the differences in scholars' research focus and methods, have all too often been constructed either as an elitist exercise that normalizes offline business as usual, or as a panacea for old socio-political inequalities. More nuanced narratives may lie somewhere in the middle, and are yet to be fully developed by this young but lively field of literature.

Key Terms in this Chapter

Citizenship: Status referring to citizens’ formal duties and rights, as well as informal norms regarding their behavioral and attitudinal commitments to social and political life in a democracy.

Democracy: A society formally and culturally organized to enable eligible citizens to participate equally in decision-making processes.

Young People: People between 12 and 30 years old.

Political Participation: Participation in activities deemed parliamentary political by nature.

Civic Participation: Participation in activities deemed political or social by nature.

Political Engagement: Attitudinal commitment of citizens to norms and processes that are deemed parliamentary political by nature.