With humorous, memetic, and salty commentary on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, young people are reshaping political expression and by extension, democratic citizenship. In this groundbreaking book, Kligler-Vilenchik and Literat first explain how this is happening, and then suggest the ways that youth voice can be best supported to contribute productively to our collective future. This book is destined to be a classic in political communication.
Lynn Schofield Clark, Author (with Regina Marchi) of Young People and the Future of News
Neta Kligler-Vilenchik and Ioana Literat have gifted their readers with a urgent and observant account of the political and digital lives of youth around the world. Their account of political expression via various social media platforms adds greatly to our understanding of grassroots political communication.
Henry Jenkins, Co-editor of Popular Culture and the Civic Imagination
Examining the intersection between young people, social media, and politics, Neta Kligler-Vilenchik and Ioana Literat's eye-opening analysis takes youth voices and their developing political consciousness seriously and broadens our understanding of the nature of their citizenry engagement. This timely and well-researched book is highly accessible and illuminating, as it offers a fascinating peek into the changing practices of democracy.
Dafna Lemish, Distinguished Professor of Journalism and Media Studies, Rutgers University
This is a rich ethnographic study of how 'expressive citizenship' is emerging through the 'political sandbox' afforded by social media. It will surely open the eyes of the adult generation which tends to (mis)judge how, for young people, the personal is political in new and creative ways.
Sonia Livingstone, Professor in the Department of Media and Communications, LSE, and Director of the Digital Futures for Children centre