Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Teachers College Educational ...

Youth in the Digital Age: Digital Media and Technologies for
Supporting Civic Engagement
Tenzin Doleck,
Teachers College, Columbia University, 525 W. 120th Street, New York, NY
Email: tcd2116@columbia.edu
The proliferation of technology is undoubtedly having a profound impact on our lives. This power of digital
media, the Internet, and social networking was fully realized recently in the wake of the high-profile
uprisings in the Arab World as citizens used this digital space and tools as a catalyst for effecting reform.
As technology permeates more aspects of our lives, the transformative consequences are being felt.
There are key aspects/areas in democracy where the effects of technology are clearly visible: elections,
campaigns, governance, civic participation, etc. The Internet and new digital media helps users to be
informed and empowered by providing a voice for all users who normally would not take part in the
political process and also creates opportunities for all interests to be heard; thus, the platform and power
that technology affords has the potential to serve as a catalyst and vehicle for civic engagement, a critical
element of democratic process. Technology certainly has the potential, power, and affordances to
ameliorate the ways and chances to participate and engage in civic activities.
The vast majority of youth in America are online (Madden, 2006). The increased penetration of the
Internet along with the technology readiness of today’s youth has begetted increased online activities. A
report published by the Kaiser Foundation highlights that the total media usage of children (8-18 year
olds) has increased more than an hour in the past decade and mobile media ownership among 8-18 year
olds has also gone up significantly in the past five years (Rideout, Foehr, & Roberts, 2010). Bennet
(2008) acknowledges the vibrancy of youth civic engagement and the growing trend of young people
employing creative uses of technology in civic issues, but points out that in cases where they do display
political involvement “it is often related to lifestyle concerns that seem outside the realm of government.”
Attachment to the digital space has also resulted in detachment from the geographic space, “America’s
youth appear to be disconnecting from public life, and doing so at a rate that is greater than for any other
age group” (Carpini, 2000). In light of the rising trends of youth’s dissatisfaction and disenchantment with
conventional politics, it becomes imperative to understand potential positive benefits of digital media and
communication technologies in spurring youth civic engagement so that it can help reverse the long-term
declines in civic and political participation among youth. As Greene (1985) writes, “surely it is an
obligation of education in a democracy to empower the young to become members of the public, to
participate, and play articulate roles in the public space."
Youth are avid users of digital media and communication technologies, as such there is a greater
likelihood that these technologies will be an important part of their civic lives; most real offline activities
already have or will have an online equivalent. Montgomery highlights that the “youth are in many ways
the defining users of the new media”, that there has been a rise in interest in youth’s use of digital media
and how it can be used effectively in engaging youth in civic participation (Montgomery, 2008). Moreover,
according to Xenos and Foot (2008) “the demand for political information on the Web among young
people rivals or eclipses that of those in other age groups.” Youth today are using, creating, learning, and
communicating in new ways. With the emergence of new technologies, youth can find meaningful ways to
incorporate these technologies into their civic lives. Thus, it is important to comprehend how the
innovative uses of technologies by the youth are expanding the boundaries of civic participation and
engagement.
This paper examines many of the digital media and communication technologies available, and the
positive affordances of and creative uses of such technologies by the youth in civic engagement. Further
we provide examples and examine how new technologies are being and can be used by youth for civic
engagement and link these to broader questions of youth civic engagement.
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