The Internet and youth political participation

This article from the First Monday online journal examines how the internet can operate as a gateway to increased political participation.

The authors, Mark E. Kann, Jeff Berry, Connor Gant and Phil Zager, examine the issue in America and ask whether young people are actually taking advantage of these new opportunities.

"Hope for a new age of youth participation in American politics, spurred by the growth of the Internet, must be tempered by the fact that virtual space is not actual space," the authors write.

"Online activism — indeed, digital democracy — amounts to very little without manifestations of political activism in street demonstrations, polling places, political commissions, and the halls of government."

However the authors indicate they believe the internet has the potential to increase youth participation and say it is ultimately up to young people to determine how successful it can be.

Read the article at First Monday.

Source: Grassroots Networking Foundation