Nineteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

While studies have probed Gen Zers’ engagement in the digital public sphere, very few scholars have probed how the internet facilitates the migration of people and ideas among this generation that is just coming of age. The study is timely and needed given that there has been a documented increase in civic engagement among this generation that remains understudied. To begin to fill this gap, the project probes how generational-specific communication norms facilitate Gen Zers’ engagement in the digital public sphere. The study does so by bringing together social scientists specializing in digital sociology, information inequalities, and tech ethics to treat qualitative and quantitative data from two hundred Gen Z respondents. Thanks to the interdisciplinary strengths of the team, the research draws on a breadth of social science methods including original survey design, in-depth interviews, and matched respondent focus groups. Results reveal how different access to different communication environments raises consciousness about different issues. In turn, findings also show how interactional norms fortify students’ self-confidence as change makers, as well as how communication strategies can build Gen Zers’ confidence and willingness to contribute to the digital public sphere. The project brings these empirical findings data to bear on typologies advanced by Peschl, Deng, and Larson (2021) to develop a theory of changemaking that requires a willingness to solve problems in the face of ambiguity, empathy for unknown others, tolerance for risk and potential failure, and the ability to grow from criticism–findings with implications for civic studies, global studies, and communication.