Date of Award

Fall 2022

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Sociology

Abstract

As traditional forms of participating in politics are waning in popularity and younger people are becoming more politically aware, new ways to engage in politics are emerging from the intersection of youth culture and digital spaces. One way of understanding this intersection of activism and youth culture is to analyze how youth-led activist organizations engage in participatory politics in the digital space. I analyze how anti-gun violence organizations March for Our Lives and GoodKids MadCity, led by youth activists, reflect a unique and distinct form of digital engagement and organizational culture. Through content analysis, I will be highlighting organizational comparison at the national and local levels—including comparison of strategies and organizational culture—as well as how, specifically, these organizations manifest their values and culture through digital media. I use public-facing data from social media accounts such as Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok from the past two years based on interaction rates to complement analysis of the websites of the organizations themselves and any other informational materials geared towards the public. The unique position of youth culture—immersed in the digital space, social media, and constant connectedness—and how that, combined with experience, results in activism, independence, and a sense of responsibility. This research allows for a greater understanding of the shifting political climate, including how and why youth activists are stepping up to lead such organizations for change and how they use their identities and culture to encourage others to do the same.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

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