Participatory Politics - 9780262525770

Although they may disavow politics as such, civic-minded young people use every meansand media at their disposal to carry out the basic tasks of citizenship. Through a mix offace-to-face and digital methods, they deliberate on important issues and debate with peers andpowerbrokers, redefining some key dynamics that govern civic life in the process. InParticipatory Politics, Elisabeth Soep examines the specific tactics used byyoung people as they experiment with civic engagement. Drawing on her scholarly research and on herwork as a media producer and educator, Soep identifies five tactics that are part of effective,equitable participatory politics among young people: Pivot Your Public (mobilizing civic capacitywithin popular culture engagements); Create Content Worlds (using inventive and interactivestorytelling that sparks sharing); Forage for Information in public data archives; Code Up (usingcomputational thinking to design tools, platforms, and spaces for public good); and Hide and Seek(protecting privacy and information sources). After describing these tactics as they manifestthemselves in a range of youth-driven activities -- from the runaway spread of the videoKony 2012 to community hackathons -- Soep discusses concrete ideas forcultivating the new literacies that will enable young people to participate in public life. She goeson to consider some risks associated with these participatory tactics, including simplification andsensationalism, and ways to avoid them, and concludes with implications for future research andpractice.