A GENERATION RISING UP

---

Social Media and technology are amazing tools. Young people especially, are constantly tuned in to the world around them. Think about it – we’re never too far away from our phones, which means we’re never too far away from politics.

Social media leaves a space where young people feel willing to discuss issues that are important to them, without the judgement that seems to come from mainstream political engagement.

There are vast inequalities within political engagement and many say that young people are disinterested and removed from politics. However, I would argue this is not the case. Young people are merely choosing to reject mainstream politics as they are cynical of politicians, feel caught between parties and are dissatisfied with local governments – sound familiar (Marsh, 2006)?

As young people we are consistently undermined in politics and seen as unable to meet the requirements for rational political thought, even when we reach voting age. We’re seen as to young, too inexperienced and unable to express ourselves in an articulate manner (Loader et al., 2016). Young people are viewed in politics as apprentices rather than as political agents in and of their own right, who deserve a say in policies which directly impact them (Marsh, 2006).

To me it seems that our current government are failing to respect and target youth politics. Arguably, Corbyn’s success in mobilising youth shows a shift towards respecting the ideas and opinions of young people (Sloam, 2018). Regardless, Johnson’s campaign made very little attempt to mobilise youth and still came out on top – yet again undermining the importance of youth in politics (Sloam, 2018).

How can young people be expected to get passionate about politics when their opinions are pushed to the side again and again?

Now the depressing bit is out the way, it’s time to say –  It’s not over! We’ve got this! Young people are consistently shut down, but finally through social media activism it feels like our voices are being heard!

Social media not only gives a voice to those who are neglected in mainstream politics because they’re too young to vote or are seen as juvenile, it gives them a platform to learn and enact large scale change (Velasquez and LaRose, 2016).

For many students social media is essential for coordinating political plans and activism. This looks different for different people – for me, this means organising Roehampton University’s Amnesty society which I set up this year. Some studies suggest social media politically mobilises youth, as it creates opportunities for individuals that otherwise would not be able to participate (Velasquez and LaRose, 2016). What makes social media so powerful is that it’s accessible and can be utilised by all.

Ofcom use the phrase the ‘Greta effect’ to speak about online activism and the success of this new movement that’s spearheaded by amazing young people! This term recognises Greta Thunberg and her utilisation of social media to spread the word about her ‘school climate strike’. Ofcom discovered that online social activism in 2019 saw an increase in the proportion of 12-15-year-olds who use social media to support causes and organisations by sharing or commenting on posts (Ofcom, 2019). Alongside this they discovered that 1/10 have signed a petition on social media in the last year (Ofcom, 2019).

It may seem that young people are not politically active, but maybe the idea of what it means to politically active has changed?

It is also key to note that social media plays such a key role in educating young people on political issues, and online news is the most popular source of information. As demonstrated in the graph below from Sloam, 56% of 18-24 year-olds consume news online (Sloam, 2018). Social media is also the second most common way of gathering political news for 48% of 18-24 year-olds compared to 22% of all adults (Sloam, 2018). Social media is so much more important than we even realise.

 

I would personally argue that this online education and online activism could lead to young people feeling a need to partake in more traditional ideas of activism and explain the rise in votes from young people in recent years. Compared to 2015, turnout rose most among young people in the 2017 election – as illustrated by the graph below (Ipos, 2017).

 

There’s something powerful about feeling rejected and not listened to in mainstream politics but taking your power back through social media. If you take anything from this blog it’s to understand the power of youth, of your voice and of your abilities. We have the world at our fingertips – we just need to utilise it!

 

---

References

Ipsos, (2017), How Britain voted in the 2017 election

Available at: https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/how-britain-voted-2017-election Accessed: 05/03/2020

 

Loader, B. D., Vromen, A. and Xenos, M. A. (2016) ‘Performing for the young networked citizen? Celebrity politics, social networking and the political engagement of young people’, Media, Culture & Society, 38(3), pp. 400–419. doi: 10.1177/0163443715608261.

 

Marsh, D., O ́Toole, T. and Jones, S., 2006. Young people and politics in the UK: Apathy or alienation?, Springer

Available at: p://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/roehampton-ebooks/detail.action?docID=293826 Accessed: 08/03/2020

 

Ofcom,(2019) Children and parents: Media use and attitudes report

Available at: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/190616/children-media-use-attitudes-2019-report.pdf Accessed: 05/03/2020

 

Sloam J., Henn M. (2018), Youthquake: Young People and the 2017 General Election, Palgrave Pivot, Cham doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97469-9_5

 

Velasquez, A. and LaRose, R., 2015. Social media for social change: Social media political efficacy and activism in student activist groups. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 59(3), pp.456-474 doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2015.1054998