Week 6: Civic Engagement.

I often find the concept of civic engagement to be ambiguous.  What constitutes as civic engagement is subjective to one's views of government, media, traditionalism, and several other factors.  This ambiguity is addressed by W. Lance Bennett who states the following:

"OK, young people may well be participating and engaging in all sorts of very active and interesting ways online; and we could probably think of many other examples.  But in what ways is this CIVIC engagement? ...“media engagement” is not necessarily the same as “civic engagement.”  I would accept other people’s comments to the effect that this term “civic” is a little worthy and moralistic... but how, in the end, are we defining what counts as “civic” and what doesn’t? (Bennett, 2008, p.4)."

Are we now left to define, or rather redefine, "civic engagement"?  I would venture to say yes.  The internet has changed the culture of the world, and government and politics are no exception.  Many of the activities associated with civic engagement, such as fund-raising, protesting, or political discourse, have long ago began a transition from the traditional public sphere to the networked public.  However, I am by no means advocating the end of traditional civic engagement.  If anything, I support the role traditional civic engagement has taken in functioning in a productive and collaborative manner with the networked public.  I do believe, however, that civic engagement through the networked pubic does not undermine the principles of civic engagement.  Furthermore, not only does this collaboration of processes not undermine the principles of civic engagement, it may even enforce it.

I also believe that the term "engagement" invokes thoughts of physical contributions.  In the minds of a more senior community, "engagement" is not heavily associated with the actions of digital society, but rather is associated with individuals stepping outdoors and contributing the "outside" community.  If the dichotomies of traditional civic engagement and networked civic engagement are not fully comprehended, the conceptualization of young adult as disengaged citizens will continue to thrive.

Works Cited

Bennett, W. Lance. “Changing Citizenship in the Digital Age." Civic Life Online: Learning How Digital Media Can Engage Youth .E dited 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