Literature Review
We found that there is a gap in research on youth environmental activists and social media. Social media has been described as a facilitator for social movements and that youth can be powerful revolutionaries, but there was never a connection made between the youth environmental movements and social media. We broke down our literature into three categories:
Youth Activism
Youth Activism
We Fight to Win: Inequality and the Politics of Youth Activism
By Hava Rachel Gordon
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Social media does not have an age restriction, its a platform for younger people to become both politically informed and engage with movements without being restricted by adults
“It’s Hip to Be Green.”
By Anna Kuchment, Catharine Skipp and Heidi Richter
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Gallup poll shows that 44 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 34 believe we need to take "immediate, drastic" action on the environment, compared with 38 percent of those between the ages of 35 and 54, and 33 percent of those 55 and older
“7 Times in History When Students Turned to Activism”
By Maggie Astor
Most social movements have been led by college-aged generations, with the current gun control movement being an outlier (led by high school-age generation)
Digital Activism
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“Small Change: Why the revolution will not be tweeted”
By Malcolm Gladwell
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Social networks are effective at increasing participation by lessening the level of motivation that participation requires
"Activism in the Social Media Age"
By Monica Anderson, Skye Toor, Lee Rainie, and Aaron Smith
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Pew Research Center found that majorities of Americans do believe social media sites are very or somewhat important for accomplishing a range of political goals, such as getting politicians to pay attention to issues (69% of Americans feel these platforms are important for this purpose) or creating sustained movements for social change (67%).
Digitally Enabled Social Change: Activism in the Internet Age
By Jennifer Earl and Katrina Import
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E-tactics or web-activism, such as petitions, boycotts, and letter/email campaigns, help social movements, but are not interpreted as a tool for starting them
Climate Activism
“The genesis of climate change activism: from key beliefs to political action”
By Connie Roser-Renouf
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The three major forms of climate activism have been contacting elected representatives, supporting organizations that work on the issue, and attending climate change rallies or meetings. In the past, climate activism in the U.S. has failed to convince the U.S. Congress of the science behind climate change despite clear evidence and citizen concern. Going forward, efforts to increase citizen activism should promote specific beliefs about climate change, build perceptions that political activism can be effective, and encourage interpersonal communication on the issue.
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