Networking Young Citizens

The WUN Networking Young Citizens Study Group comprises a number of scholars dedicated to understanding and developing civic engagement and learning in youth online environments.

The WUN Networking Young Citizens Study Group comprises a number of scholars dedicated to understanding and developing civic engagement and learning in youth online environments.

The broad aims of the study group are:

To explore the contemporary political and civic engagement of networked young citizens both within and beyond their own societies. Our investigations are shaped by how wider social and cultural factors of globalization, individualization and social media influence the political attitudes, values and behaviour of young people. The scope of our research interest includes ‘unconventional’ political engagement (social movements, connective action, protest), changing political norms, the rise of smaller political parties, celebrity politics, identity and consumer politics, austerity social conditions, rising social inequalities, political socialization and civic education.

The Civic Network project

A two year comparative research project was launched in 2012 with a USD$312,000 grant from the Spencer Foundation to examine the potential influence of social media upon the political values and behaviour of young people in the UK, Australia and the USA. Ariadne Vromen (PI – University of Sydney) worked with Brian Loader (University of York) and Mike Xenos (University of Wisconsin-Madison) to investigate whether new attitudes and styles of politics are manifesting themselves through the use of social media by young citizens. The research team are all members of the Networking Young Citizens study group.