Participation of Youth In and Through Media: Traditional and New Media

Abstract

In this chapter the role of media in terms of facilitating and potentially enabling the participation of young people in democratic life will be addressed in more detail. As is well recognised in democratic theory, media and information provision and literacy is an important prerequisite for participation in democratic life. On the one hand, the distinction between mainstream media and alternative media is of importance in this regard. While the former facilitates democratic participation through the media, the latter tends to facilitate participation in media and content production itself (Carpentier, 2011). On the other hand, we can also distinguish traditional media such as print and broadcasting from new media such as the internet and social media.