Redesigning Civic Education for the Digital Age: Participatory Politics and the Pursuit of Democratic Engagement

TLDR

The digital revolution has expanded opportunities for participatory politics, requiring civic educators to adapt core engagement practices to new peer‑based, interactive contexts. The article conceptualizes these changes, surveys their prevalence, and proposes curricular reforms to expand civic education in the digital age. The authors draw on a nationally representative survey to assess the frequency and expansion of new participatory practices and illustrate curricular reform examples.

Abstract

The digital revolution has enabled important changes in political life. Opportunities to engage in participatory politics have expanded significantly. Participatory politics differ from institutional politics in that they are peer-based, interactive, and not guided by deference to traditional elites and institutions. These changes require a response from civic educators. Core practices of civic and political engagement, such as investigation, dialogue, circulation, production, and mobilization, must be taught differently because they are now frequently enacted differently and in different contexts. This article conceptualizes these changes, draws on a nationally representative survey to assess the frequency and expansion of these new practices, and highlights examples of curricular reform to help frame an expanded agenda for civic education in the digital age.