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.
Who's involved
- Mr Brian Loader, University of York
- Dr Nathan Manning, University of York
- Professor Ian Davies, University of York
- Associate Professor Ariadne Vromen, University of Sydney
- Professor Stephen Coleman, University of Leeds
- Professor David Denemark, University of Western Australia
- Professor Lance Bennett, University of Washington
- Professor Dhavan Shah, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Professor Michael Xenos, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Dr Chris Wells, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Dr Kjerstin Thorsen, University of Southern California
- Professor William Eveland, Ohio State University
- Dr Mike McDevitt, University of Denver
- Dr Leticia Bode, Georgetown University
- Dr Stephanie Edgerley, Northwestern University
- Professor Erik Amna, Örebro University
- Dr Deen Freelon, Georgetown University
- Professor Mats Ekstrom, University of Gothenburg
- Dr Parveen Akhtar, Unversity of Bradford
- Dr Henrik Bang, University of Copenhagen
- Dr Egle Celiesiene, Social Communication Institute
- Dr Thierry Desrues, Institute for Advanced Social Studies
- Dr Kathy Edwards, RMIT
- Professor Daniel Faas, Trinity College Dublin
- Alice Mattoni, Centre on Social Movement Studies
- Donatella della Porta, Centre on Social Movement Studies
- Lorenzo Mosca, Scuola Normale Superiore
- Anne Muxel, SciencesPo
- Liza Tsaliki, Athens University
- Anna Przybyiska, University of Warsaw
