Youth participatory politics: Understanding and supporting civic engagement in the social media era

Abstract

As the internet and social media have become ubiquitous in the practices of learning about and engaging with civic and political life, we see a growing tendency towards civic and political expression described as participatory politics: decentralized practices through which individuals and groups seek to exert voice and influence on issues of public concern, often by using digital tools and networks to access, circulate, and produce media and to engage with others and mobilize action (Cohen CJ, Kahne, J. Participatory Politics. New Media and youth political action. Published online 2011. Accessed April 30, 2023. https://ictlogy.net/bibliography/reports/projects.php?idp=2180&lang=en). The past decade of research has uncovered potential benefits for adolescent empowerment and well-being alongside potential risks and challenges. Here, we provide an overview of recent research on hybrid (online and offline) civic and political engagement in adolescence and emerging adulthood (ages 15-24). We adopt an intersectional lens acknowledging that the stressors and benefits related to civic participation and supports needed to interact and vary in relation to intersecting youth identities (e.g., racial, ethnic, religious, socioeconomic, immigration status, disability, gender, and sexuality) and their relationship to the power structures that influence their well-being (Crenshaw K, Univ Chic Leg Forum 1:139-167, 1989).