Digital Natives as Self-Actualizing Citizens

"Young people are... less interested in joining formal groups or political parties, less inclined to seek information via conventional news outlets, and more likely to avoid...voting." 

The main points that caught my attention were that

-these circumstances could be just changing patterns of engagement and are "opportunities that will reshape the notion of citizenship in this century"

-young citizens are naturally focused on connecting with peers through the internet and are focusing on lifestyle issues, yet at the same time there is an ecology of young citizens who actively participate through the internet by going on public issue and global campaign sites

-there is a huge shift in citizenship styles, making a contrast between Dutiful Citizens (DC) and new century self-Actualizing Citizens (AC) 

Dutiful Citizens

• have an obligation to participate in government-centered activities
• believe voting is the most important democratic act, supported by growing knowledge and contact with government
• join civil society organizations or express interest through political parties that typically use conventional communication to maintain and keep supporters

Self-Actualizing Citizens

• have a higher sense of individual purpose and don't see the government as the total ruling force
• believe voting is not more meaningful than more personally-defined acts, like consumerism, activism, and volunteering
• their mistrust of the media and politicians is reinforced by the negative mass media environment
• favors a more community-like type of interaction (loose networks)

This article made me think about the fact that it's not that teenagers don't care about politics or current issues both nationwide and worldwide, because there are a huge amount of teens who have their own opinions about certain large issues, such as marriage rights and abortion laws. I just think that many people aren't fully informed of political figures and their beliefs, including those running for government, and it isn't until that information is spread to popular sources of information, such as Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr that the user is made aware of current issues.

I also think that in some cases, there are people who possess traits of both dutiful and self-actualizing citizens. But I agree when Bennett mentioned that schools should help students develop their own public voices by using multiple digital media that allows students to find their own means of leaning about political issues and also develop peer-learning communities. He says that the ideal learning environment would be one that includes "identifying individual preferences for personal expression and peer-to-peer discovery of issues" and offers learning paths for "issue resolution". 

Basically, we need to create a learning environment for young people in which they can practice being a citizen, for lack of a better phrasing. If teens are aware of their rights and how their voice can affect the government, it's more likely that they will want to participate. After all, they...we... are the future.