Building and connecting to online communities for action : young people, ICT and everyday politics

    Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference PaperChapter

    Abstract

    Young people are using information communication technologies (ICT) for new forms of political participation. At the same time, government and non-government organisations are looking to the internet to implement policies designed to engage young people in democracy. This raises the question of what forms of e-citizenship are being imposed on young people and are these same forms being pursued by young people themselves? Coleman (2008) has suggested that programs tend to promote autonomous or managed forms and argues for a ‘productive convergence’ that can facilitate democratic e-citizenship. Using original research, this article presents two case studies of such a ‘productive convergence’ and argues that what is particularly powerful in such e-citizenship programs is that they facilitate young people’s connection to existing networks as well as the building of new communities for action. This article presents a critical analysis of how organisations and young people in Australia and the United Kingdom view and use the internet for participation and considers the extent to which there is increased democratising potential in these e-citizenship programs.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationE-Politics and Organizational Implications of the Internet: Power, Influence, and Social Change
    EditorsCelia Romm-Livermore
    Place of PublicationU.S.
    PublisherIGI Global
    Pages114-132
    Number of pages19
    ISBN (Electronic)9781466609679
    ISBN (Print)9781466609662
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2012

    Keywords

    • young adults
    • political participation
    • information technology
    • citizenship
    • Australia

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