The socialization relevance of digital media practices in adolescence in times of polycrisis

Political orientation is one of many developmental tasks that must be achieved during adolescence. Political attitudes are an important facet of the self. Global crises such as wars, hunger, disease, inequality, discrimination, displacement, and climate change are complex issues that challenge young people to take a stance. They are omnipresent and all but unavoidable. Nevertheless, not all youth participate in political discourse or engage in protest—in whatever form—against the developments that affect them. The Article inquires into how, in times of polycrisis, young people become politically interested and active individuals by engaging with the so-called ‘civic web’. What potential is offered by which digital infrastructures and which forms of political participation are relevant for young people in their everyday lives and socialization? What conditions need to be in place to motivate young people to participate and engage in politics on and via the internet, especially in the long term? First, common digital media practices, their distribution and effectiveness are described. Numerous studies have shown that young people are less active and careless online than is generally assumed. From the perspective of youth and media sociology, young people’s modes of use are considered, as well as how they weigh up the consequences of certain media practices and ambivalent developments. Last but not least, the conditions that promote or hinder participation and political engagement are critically discussed.