Online youth civic attitudes and the limits of civic consumerism: The emerging challenge to the Internet’s democratic potential

Pages: 166-189

DOI: 10.4324/9780203126974-18

Abstract:

A narrative of civic apathy and political disengagement has become increasingly prevalent in the UK, amongst other liberal democracies. Phenomena such as low electoral turnout, declining party membership, mistrust in government and contempt for politicians, have been cited as indicators of a crisis of participation, particularly marked amongst younger people who appear sceptical towards the formal institutions and processes of politics (Stoker 2006; Pattie et al. 2004). A sense of disconnection between political leaders and younger citizens is a particular symptom of this crisis. However, given the role of the media in the process of political communication and the increasingly embedded presence of the web in youth everyday life, the potential of the Internet as a facilitator of youth engagement has been the subject of a growing body of scholarship (e.g. Loader 2007). The Internet’s unique properties for symmetrical and interactive communication, but also as a means of actual participation (through donations, petitions, etc.) make it a potentially ideal tool for youth empowerment. Coupled with a broader conceptualisation of civic action - to embrace activities as diverse as ethical consumption and charity concerts - two broad questions have emerged: whether the Internet has become the driver of a different paradigm of political communication and participation, one which is more fluid, flexible and inclusive; and whether the medium is facilitating the participation of citizens, especially young people, who would not normally consider engaging with offline or traditional politics (e.g. Livingstone et al. 2007). The field of online youth civic engagement has recently incorporated a number of important contributions across the spectrum of production, content and use. The European-wide project CivicWeb produced valuable evidence regarding the production and content of civic websites (e.g. Banaji 2008), as well as a survey of young people’s Internet uses. Partly based on that data, as well as on a comprehensive web content analysis, Ward (2008) explored the narratives of producers, websites and young people in electoral and non-electoral contexts with particular reference to the emergence of a consumerist approach to citizenship. A series of studies has looked at how young people use the Internet focusing especially on whether politically active users constitute a distinct demographic or whether the Internet has a genuinely important role in facilitating engagement (e.g. Mesch and Coleman 2007; de Vreese 2007). Another set of studies examined the content of political (Xenos and Bennett 2007b) and nongovernmental organisations’ websites (Gerodimos 2008; Burt and Taylor 2008, Kenix 2007). However, there is still a lack of research directly linking young people’s civic needs and motivations not only to their Internet uses in general, but also to specific civic websites. In particular, there are no known studies featuring qualitative civic site evaluations by young users. Coleman et al. (2008) linked youth engagement to Internet uses and gratifications and subsequently applied that framework to an examination of civic websites’ usability, although their research employed an experimental design within the context of US case studies. The aim of this chapter is to address this gap by bringing together the study of youth civic motivations along with young peoples’ experience of civic websites and consider the implications of the emerging mode of civic consumerism for the democratising potential of the Internet.

Source: Scopus

Online Youth Attitudes and the Limits of Civic Consumerism: The emerging challenge to the Internet's Democratic potential

Authors: Gerodimos, R.

Editors: Loader, B. and Mercea, D.

Pages: 166-189

Publisher: Routledge

Place of Publication: London

ISBN: 978-0415683708

http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415683708/

Source: Manual

Preferred by: Roman Gerodimos