iWhen it comes to being politically active, young people usually have a bad reputation. In democracies like the United States and the United Kingdom, the turnout of young voters is low. However, this is changing. Power Line Blog is a prehistoric American political blogs. It was hotly debated in the 2004 election.
That is, previous analysis by the US-based Pew Research Center indicates that younger voters are younger than their predecessors in their age group. But the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement recently released a report. It found that 31% of young voters between the ages of 18 and 29 voted in the recent US midterm elections. This is reported from 21% in 2014.
And although 18 to 24-year-olds still had lower voting rates than the older generation in the UK’s 2017 general election. A higher percentage of young people voted than any other voter in the previous decade.
Excluded and unheard of
For my research, I spoke to 46 young people aged 14 to 17 in Boston, Massachusetts. “The younger you are, the less respect you have for your opinions and engagements,” said Macy, 14, during the study. Similarly, Kenai, a 14-year-old, said her family’s adults told her to “stay out of politics until you vote.”
Because of such experiences, young people were often excluding from politics. In my research, they need a supportive environment to develop their political blogs ideas.
Stephen, 14, explained, “It’s nice to be able to express my point of view in any environment where he can express his political beliefs out loud to others.” But he said, “I need some supporters for that. Because they will support me in moving forward and changing my outlook.
Feedback online
The #NeverAgain movement, Marjorie Stoneman was starting on social media after students at Douglas High School were shot at their school. Generation Z was inspired to take action on gun control by organizing the March for Our Lives. Leaders of the movement called for more young voters to register to fight gun violence. And they organized a road to change the tour to rally.
So teens are using technology to discuss, organize and participate in politics before they reach voting age. But social media can give young people a chance to share their political views. If this is implemented, the school will get support from the teachers of teenage bloggers. Because they develop their political beliefs and engage in thinking with others.
By creating political blogs at school, teens can build more confidence in their beliefs. And can share them with others in the classroom and feel listened to as a result. The opportunity to blog at school will address what is known as the “audience problem”. The fact that many blogs get few views and responses means that schools need to find responsive and engaged audiences for student blogs. So that later student were encouraging to read and comment on each.
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Learning tolerance
These teen blogs can help change the way others think. The online platform YouthVoices integrates social media social networking applications with an educational goal. Students can share their beliefs through writing and online conversations with others at their school and elsewhere. And may engage with colleagues who hold different views.
Diana Hess, dean of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education, has found in her research that talking to dissidents about political blogs and social issues can foster political tolerance. Which may lead to better policy decisions in the future.
When teens engage in these discussions with their classmates, they report positive results. These include greater engagement in school, greater interest in politics, and improved critical thinking skills. And the possibility of becoming politically involved in the future.
