College Student Political Engagement and the Internet An in Depth Analysis of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Community By: Alex Fox

Overview O Political engagement of youth is declining (Putnam) O How can we get them more engaged?

Backdrop Participation of youth starting to increase 2000 voter turnout for young Americans no longer was decreasing at a higher rate than the rest of the population 2008 election had highest voter turnout under the age of 30

Why not engaged? Less Collectively Minded Research suggests community leads to higher political engagement Government Distrust Information Overload Lack of Confidence

Critique of Putnam Only looks at traditional forms of participation Ignores many modern forms of participation

Traditional Forms vs. Newer Technology Based Forms Traditional forms: attending public meetings, writing letters to representatives, working for political parties, voting, and donating money Newer forms: posting on social media, joining online political communities, signing an online petition, online protests, blogging, etc.

2008 Election of Obama Obama utilized social media and the internet in ways candidates never had before Created connection between online and offline participation High number of young volunteers and high voter turnout

How important is the Internet to participation? Socialization Family Peers Education Media/The Internet

Methods Survey of RPI Campus Community In Depth Interviews with about 10 politically active/engaged students

Conclusion Analyze and Evaluate Interview and Survey Responses Which agents were most important? How important was the role of Internet? Agents working together?