YPP Network Description

The MacArthur Research Network on Youth and Participatory Politics (YPP) formed out of recognition that youth are critical to the future of democracy and that the digital age is introducing technological changes that are impacting how youth develop into informed, engaged, and effective actors.

Getting Into the Fray: Civic Youth, Online Dialogue, and Implications for Digital Literacy Education
by Carrie James, Daniel T. Gruner, Ashley Lee & Margaret Mullen
June 28, 2016
The potentials of social media for youth voice are clear. Young people’s experiences using these media for civic dialogue are less well understood. In this paper, we draw on qualitative interviews with fifteen civic dialoguers to explore how they navigate online political conversations. Our findings suggest that youth use various strategies for online engagement; however, they struggle, especially when engaging with disagreements. Our findings suggest a need for supports for engaging with diverse perspectives online.