interest it is going to be because a particular site catches their attention and induces them to think about some aspect of politics in ways that they had not before.” Even if online movements successful attract young people to various forms of political engagement, it is often argued that online activity is a poor substitute for online efforts. Evgeny Morozov (2011), for example, argues that would be the more appropriate terminology “slacktivism” to use when describing online political activity. He states that this form of involvement is “premised on the assumption that, given enough tweets, the world’s problems are solveable; in the language of computer geeks, given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow” (190). This is an attempt to give a voice to those young people at the heart of this discussion. If we assume that American politics is better when young people are involved, interested, and considered then it is necessary for us to start a dialogue that allows us to better understand the conditions under which those trends are most likely to occur. Research Design This paper relies on data gathered through a series of four focus groups on the campus of Saint Martin’s University, a small Benedictine liberal arts institution in Lacey, Washington. Students were recruited through an email sent to all undergraduate students, encouraging them to meet with me and a few other students for approximately 45 minutes to discuss the role of the Internet in American politics. In exchange for their participation students were offered light snacks and, in some cases, extra-credit from their professor. The focus groups took place between March 16 and March 23, 2015. Before beginning the group students were asked to complete a brief questionnaire containing some basic demographic information including their age, race, year in school, and party identification. In total, 15 students agreed to participate in the study. For the purposes of this study, I will only include the results from students 30 years of age or under. Consequently, only 10 of the
interest it is going to be because a particular site catches their attention and induces them to think about some aspect of politics in ways that they had not before.” Even if online movements successful attract young people to various forms of political engagement, it is often argued that online activity is a poor substitute for online efforts. Evgeny Morozov (2011), for example, argues that “slacktivism” would be the more appropriate terminology to use when describing online political activity. He states that this form of involvement is “premised on the assumption that, given enough tweets, the world’s problems are solveable; in the language of computer geeks, given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow” (190). This is an attempt to give a voice to those young people at the heart of this discussion. If we assume that American politics is better when young people are involved, interested, and considered then it is necessary for us to start a dialogue that allows us to better understand the conditions under which those trends are most likely to occur. Research Design This paper relies on data gathered through a series of four focus groups on the campus of Saint Martin’s University, a small Benedictine liberal arts institution in Lacey, Washington. Students were recruited through an email sent to all undergraduate students, encouraging them to meet with me and a few other students for approximately 45 minutes to discuss the role of the Internet in American politics. In exchange for their participation students were offered light snacks and, in some cases, extra-credit from their professor. The focus groups took place between March 16 and March 23, 2015. Before beginning the group students were asked to complete a brief questionnaire containing some basic demographic information including their age, race, year in school, and party identification. In total, 15 students agreed to participate in the study. For the purposes of this study, I will only include the results from students 30 years of age or under. Consequently, only 10 of the
Artime%20Encouraging%20Engagement%20WPSA%202015.docx