Citizenship in the Digital Era

The youth today are knowledgeable in political and social issues, especially the issues that effect their future. I have the pleasure of teaching all levels of students in a college setting and I was pleasantly surprised to see how involved they are in their community and how much they care about the future. My students at FIT care more about the election and candidates then I have ever seen in the past. I will rightfully admit that I did not care nearly half as much as they do when I was in college, political issues were just not on my radar. I listened to my students discuss Bernie Sanders for two semesters. My students at FIT were, "Feeling The Bern," and wanted to see change. They wanted change that would benefit them and the next generation, and they were passionate about him and his campaign.  I disagree with W. Lance Bennett when he writes that, "Perhaps most notably, younger generations have disconnected from conventional politics and governments in alarming numbers." (Bennett, Lance W., 2008, p.1) I have seen the complete opposite in my "world." Students are illustrating, and designing products based on the election, and are actively debating the candidates in classroom settings. Perhaps this is the environment that I am in, but I am surprised yet happy to see this shift. 

I will agree with Bennett when he writes that, "Many observers properly note that there are impressive signs of youth civic engagement in these nongovernmental areas, including increases in community volunteer work, high levels of consumer activism, and impressive involvement in social causes from the environment to economic injustice in local and global arenas." (Bennett, Lance, W. 2008, p.2) My students and younger generation that I interact with are all passionate about the environment, sustainability and world hunger. My students at FIT opened my eyes to the refugee crisis last year when they presented projects on the humanitarian issue. I watched them dig through the Internet looking for information, and some even going as far as trying to connect with refugees via social media. The youth today have access to the world via the world wide web and they are using it to it's fullest capabilities and advantages. I will say that when I catch a student using their computers or smart phones in class, 9 out of 10 times they ARE NOT researching political or social issues.....we still need to remember that they are overstimulated, short attention span millennials. 

Bennett's paper also discusses the issues of students being active "online" in politically and socially charged conversations, but they are lacking in the "off-line" arena. I would agree with this because I think that students generally are more comfortable voicing their opinions and ideas to an online community as opposed to an in face conversation. I see this in my class lessons, students are more excited and active in discussion boards online then they are in classroom during face-to-face discussions. It is my belief that my students feel a sense of comfort and security in discussing topics behind a computer screen, it's safer. Bennett does suggest that, " In order for young citizens to feel comfortable engaging in more conventional politics, they need to feel invited to participate on their own terms, and to learn how to use their digital tools to better express their public voices." (Bennet, Lance W., 2008, p. 10)  I could not agree more with this statement. As we progress further in to the digital world we need to think about developing more tools for students to communicate through. Tools or networks that are not focused on superficial topics and photos, but more networking sites that are devoted to social and humanitarian issues and perhaps they could also include volunteering roles and positions. If businesses want to attract the new generation they need to create tools and sites that they will respond and react to. 

References:

Citation: Bennett, W. Lance. “Changing Citizenship in the Digital Age." Civic Life Online: Learning How Digital Media Can Engage Youth. Edited by W. Lance Bennett. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2008. 1–24. doi: 10.1162/dmal.9780262524827.001