A Discussion of the Current Opportunities and Challenges for Active Citizenship in Australia

Introduction

In a world that is constantly changing, the role of active citizenship cannot be overemphasized in regard to helping steer the direction of a country. Active citizenship is a concept that is yet to gain consensus amongst scholars regarding definitions, features, and expectations. In Australia, Peterson & Bentley (2017) define active citizenship as when citizens engage in a wide array of activities that are aimed at promoting and sustaining democracy. For example, the actions may include activities in civil societies such as collecting petitions for social or environmental causes, protesting against political issues and other societal problems, conventional engagement in politics such as election campaigning and voting, and community interactions through volunteering. Overall, active citizenship in Australia calls for participation in social, economic, political, and environmental engagements while retaining respect for other people in a manner that is aligned to democracy and human rights standards (McHenry, 2011). In this discussion, the current opportunities and challenges for active citizenship in Australia will be explored. The focus will be on young people as a critical social group, the digital media platform as a social institution, and using current events such as the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Overall, young people in Australia must use the tools they have to participate in active citizenship because the future of the country will depend on the stand they take today on matters relating to politics, the economy, society, and environmental consciousness.

Challenges to Civic Participation

Without a doubt, the Australian society has shown that institutions and laws are not nearly sufficient to ensure that a democracy flourishes. In relation to this, Ghazarian et al. (2020) found that the quality of a complete democratic system relies on how citizens participate in the process. For young people in Australia, there have been reports of very low interest in matters relating to politics for those aged 15 and 35 years (Phillips & Moroney, 2017). The implication for the democratic political system in the future are huge. One of the key challenges facing young people in relation to civic participation is the breakdown of traditions or social structures that were used by previous generations to shape individual experiences and identity. These social structures and traditions have fundamentally evaporated. Instead of the conventional inheritance that arose from family, one’s position or role in the society, and other social structures, the 21st century identity definition has changed to become a more autonomous, reflexive, and individualized process. The risk in such a drastic change is that young Australians have been led away from active citizenship, focusing only on crafting their own lives.

Apart from the change in social structures, there is a notable lack of representation for young people in the institutional political framework in Australia. Cuervo & Wyn (2017) assert that young Australians are not visible, their opinions and views are not considered, and there are very few people in political positions who have power to influence others. The result of this issue is that young people have continued to block out civic participation because of how it seems to be a futile exercise for them. Another challenge facing young Australians in civic participation is the rigidity of the representative system (Chadwick, Dennis, and Smith, 2016). While the world has changed significantly, the Australian democracy has been markedly reluctant to embrace new ideas and change. For example, political parties do not include the views of young Australians in their decision making process. The activity of political parties on social media is largely a modern façade that fails to capture the advantages of new media. Overall, young peoples’ lack of voice and the focus of the political class on the rich and the old have left those aged between 15 and 35 somewhat marginalized in civic participation. The result is a lack of connection between the young and the political class, leading to alienation from civic duties and participation.

Opportunities for Young People

It is worth noting that no nation is formed a democracy and no individual is born a good citizen, rather they require processes of continued evolution and working to improve towards the good. Young people in Australia must be involved in civic responsibilities, work towards active citizenship, and help to shape the country into a better democracy. To achieve this, a number of the emerging opportunities must be utilized fully. Recently, social issues surrounding environmental and societal concerns have paved a way for active participation for young people. For example, the BLM movement, the #MeToo movement, and the Schools Strike Movement (Fridays for Future) are samples of initiatives by young people as a way of airing their opinions, perspectives, and providing demands for the government on different matters. For the BLM movement, young people are given an opportunity to participate in altering the course of minorities in Australia, regarding how the criminal justice system treats people on the basis of their racial background and other matters of importance for the future. The MeToo movement attempts to shed light on matters relating to gender-based violence, sexual assault on women, harassment, and rape. Similarly, the Fridays for Future aims to create a new attitude regarding how climate issues are handled in Australia for the benefit of future generations.

Social and political movements in Australia are largely led by young people hungry for a change in attitude and governance. These are the best opportunities for young people to air their voice, ideas, and opinions through social media and physical protests on the streets to raise awareness (Geia et al., 2020). The opportunities provide a chance at leadership, one that will alter the course of politics in the near future. It is the best way for young Australians to be active citizens. Such issues will also alter the course of political campaigns and how leaders are elected in office. For example, Australians can no longer ignore the treatment of minority groups, the issue of climate change, and issues relating to gender equality. These issues will inform how politicians make formulate policies and involve others in the process (Ribeiro, 2021). Additionally, participation in such civil responsibilities will also increase volunteerism, voting, civic education, and contribution to society in a way that will qualify a lot of young Australians as active citizens.

The Role of Digital Media Platform in Enhancing Civic Participation for Young People

The digital media has a critical role in shaping the participation of young people in civic processes. Digital media today allows the formulation and circulation of information in a rate that has not been witnessed in history before (Boulianne, 2020). For example, a simple satirical meme or video criticizing a certain issue of governance will be shared millions of times not just in Australia but also elsewhere in the world. The result is that digital media platforms such as social media allows young people to participate actively in politics (Chadwick, Dennis, and Smith, 2016, p. 8). A simple movement in America, the BLM, sparked an international response that has not been seen in the recent past. The overwhelming involvement of young people in the Brexit phenomenon also showed the power of social media in shaping the way young people participate in various civic matters. Therefore, social media and other forms of digital media have shaped young people into active citizens by enabling more participation in politics, societal issues, economic moves and decisions, as well as environmental issues.

Based on how the use of social media saturates the daily lives of young people, Hobbs et al. (2020) found that it then becomes of the most effective ways to participate in civic matters. For young Australians, social media gives rich and complex opportunities to cultivate political involvement. Through social media, anyone with an access to a smart gadget is able to make decisions regarding the environment, political moves, and other issues (Cuervo & Wyn, 2017). This is achieved through deciding what to watch and share to others. User-generated information and the various ways that digital media platforms enable the shaping and expressing of the said knowledge allows young people to share information, opinion, attitude, ideas, and views on a given matter. Another way these digital media platforms enable youth participation in political, social, and environmental initiatives is how it enables networked publics and re-sharing. Today, young people are no longer constrained by boundaries, but are able to contribute to issues and create relations with anyone in the world. Therefore, digital media platforms have become the best opportunity for young Australians to be actively involved in making decisions about their country and the resources therein.

Conclusion

In this discussion, challenges and opportunities for civic participation for young Australians have been explored. The role of digital media platforms in advancing active participation has also been mentioned as a critical element. The current social movements including the Fridays for Future, MeToo, and the BLM, have been used to show just how young people can participate in making decisions for their country. Overall, the role of social media emerges as one of the most effective tools and opportunities for young Australians to become active citizens through voicing concerns, providing ideas, criticizing governance, highlighting social and environmental issues, and demanding accountability in all institutional responsibilities as a way of making their nation a better democracy.

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