Civic Engagement in the Digital Age

The reading “Civic Media” by Eric Gordon and Paul Mihailidis asks us the question: What does civic engagement look like in the digital age? This question can be answered by looking to social media, more specifically looking at today’s youth. Companies like Microsoft, Google, Twitter, and Facebook have all played their part in civic engagement by blurring the lines between customer and consumer. [Gordon and Mihailidis, “Civic Media”]. Giving consumers the resources and outlet to engage with one another on the level that we are able to contributes greatly to civic engagement. We are at the point where we can communicate with one another from all around the world and discuss issues that without the internet or social media, only the people in that location would know of. For example, the Black Live Matter movement was able to gain traction from social media by engaging its supporters and giving them meaningful actions to do. These supporters were not just in America, where most of the violence towards Black people were happening, but from all over not just the continent, but the world. Social media allows people to do civic engagement from the comfort of their home. So, what does civic engagement look like in the digital age? Some may argue that the digital age and social media has caused “slacktivism”, but I disagree. I believe that the digital age allows us to connect more and just allows us to engage with our communities easier. Easier doesn’t mean that we’re slacking, it just means we have created a more efficient form of communication and outlet of activism. Civic engagement in the digital age looks like donating to a cause you agree with that you found of Instagram, recording an event to spread the word, or meeting online to discuss the ways you can help your community. So, whether you’re giving back to your community in person putting in hours of labor, through a device in the comfort of your home, or both, all that work adds up and creates something that can change, shift, and alter a community for the better.