Engagement 2.0? How the New Digital Media Can Invigorate Civic Engagement

August 17th, 2008

By Lindsay Pettingill

Abstract:

I explore the relationship between civic engagement and democratic practice. I suggest that the traditional model of civic engagement does not capture the distinctive engagement of many young people today and is limited in three crucial ways: an inflexible model of organizational commitment, an antiquated understanding of contemporary group membership, and the assumption that nearly all forms of engagement are equal in the sense of efficacy that they convey to participants. A new model inspired by participatory culture is necessary. A contemporary model of civic engagement, Engagement 2.0, suggests that the NDM represents a new space for political change—a space that has been overlooked by many political scientists.

Full Article (PDF):Engagement-2-0.pdf

Posted under: Issue III Summer 2008, Journal, Journal Volume VIII 2,403 views

About Lindsay Pettingill

Lindsay Pettingill is a graduate of the BMW Center for German and European Studies and the Department of Government at Georgetown University. She wrote “Engagement 2.0” while a member of the GoodPlay Project at Harvard University, a project funded by the MacArthur Foundation that is exploring the ethical impacts of the New Digital Media. Lindsay received an AB in German and Sociology from Bowdoin College.

Journal Volume VIII Issue III Summer 2008