These are links I'm sharing during a visit to a class on "Civic Engagement" at the University of Tennessee this afternoon. I'm supposed to talk intelligently (always a challenge) about the changing ways young people get information, the connection between staying informed about current events and being an engaged citizen, and the role of media outlets in shaping civic engagement patterns.
If you have some thoughts post a comment and extend the conversation. Hopefully, I'm not quite an old codger yet and they aren't all whippersnappers.
If you have some thoughts post a comment and extend the conversation. Hopefully, I'm not quite an old codger yet and they aren't all whippersnappers.
- Internet's Broader Role in Campaign 2008
- Public Knowledge of Current Affairs Little Changed by News and Information Revolutions
- PEW: Peer Networks and Youth Political Media Consumption
- News Media Management Center at Northwestern
- AP Study: A New Model for News
- Engaging Millennials in Election News on the Web
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My daughter is a freshman at Virginia Tech, is way more politically involved than I was at her age. Her primary source of connection is through the internet. She has made friends through her social networking sites and used those connections to get involved in young Democrat groups who are doing voter registration and grassroots organizing. (The same kind of organizing that Palin sneered at during her big speech at the RNC convention.) I think it's very healthy and it inspires me to be better informed and to take a stand instead of just whining about my troubles. I don't think she watches much news on TV or reads newspapers unless they're online.
I think that's fantastic. Hooray for the your daughter! Not to go too pollyannish, but that's what makes our country great, people taking the time to get informed (by whatever medium) and to get involved (at the very least as a voter).