This paper is an assessment of what we know empirically about how communication technologies are being used by young people (typically defined as those between the ages of 18 and 29) as both platforms and pathways for civic and political engagement. An overview of existing research is utilized as the basis for this investigation. Research on this topic is limited in several ways, including its failure to acknowledge the distinction between individuals who are engaged merely by using communication technologies (technology as a platform for participation) versus those who are engaged beyond the exclusive use of communication technologies (technology as a pathway for participation). Understanding this distinction can better enable scholars, policy-makers, and practitioners to develop inclusive strategies for engaging young people. The authors' analysis reveals that recent research demonstrates that new technologies can serve as both platforms and pathways for civic and political engagement, and, with this distinction in mind, they provide recommendations to policy- and decision-makers and scholars interested in this issue.
Recently, there have been calls for social scientists to use their skills in the service of social change. Yet colleges and universities resist integration of the roles of social change practitioner and academic. Those who would integrate activism and scholarship face formidable obstacles in reconciling the competing demands of two very different worlds. This article discusses the problem of integrating those roles and examines the obstacles to integration in both academic and activist organizations. The authors argue that the most difficult barriers to overcome exist in the academic world, although working with social movement groups also poses problems. They conclude with suggestions for how activist academics can further integrate their roles and create a social science of social change.
This paper is an assessment of what we know empirically about how communication technologies are being used by young people (typically defined as those between the ages of 18 and 29) as both platforms and pathways for civic and political engagement. An overview of existing research is utilized as the basis for this investigation. Research on this topic is limited in several ways, including its failure to acknowledge the distinction between individuals who are engaged merely by using communication technologies (technology as a platform for participation) versus those who are engaged beyond the exclusive use of communication technologies (technology as a pathway for participation). Understanding this distinction can better enable scholars, policy-makers, and practitioners to develop inclusive strategies for engaging young people. The authors' analysis reveals that recent research demonstrates that new technologies can serve as both platforms and pathways for civic and political engagement, and, with this distinction in mind, they provide recommendations to policy- and decision-makers and scholars interested in this issue.
This article presents the results of a deliberative poll in which members from the local community and college students from SUNY Cortland discussed the economic impact of Walmart on a small town. We review the literature concerning deliberative polling and describe the process of the deliberative polling event. Our examination of the data focuses on net changes in the participants’ opinions and gross changes in the participants’ opinions. We discuss the trends and implications of the opinion shifts and outline future research. The results illustrate that the process of deliberation affects changes in attitude items at both the individual and group level.
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