Politicians are finally starting to catch on to the fact that in order to get people engaged with their message they have to find new ways in which to communicate. As technology develops so do the methods and expectations when it comes to engaging with people.
To this end, one of the ideas in the political zeitgeist is that of ‘Digital Democracy’.
With young people much less likely to vote than other generations, we spoke with students about how to get more of their own age group engaged in politics, and with academics about the importance of moving to a more digital political future.
Out of the ideas, one that could have an immediate and positive impact would be new ways for MPs to engage with their younger constituents. A lot of young people would never think about going to their MPs constituency surgery, and if it is during school time many can’t, but the ideas of an online discussion, debate or Q&A seemed very appealing to a lot of the young people in the room. In a sense it would allow them to communicate with politicians on their own terms, allowing them to feel more at home in the political debate, as opposed to outsiders.
Another tool many thought would help young people get more involved would be more accessible political information. Websites like They Work For You and What Do They Know exist to help people find information about their elected representatives, but contain so much information that to find anything meaningful you often have to know what you’re looking for. Resources that provide access to non-agenda driven political news would help engender a generation of better informed voters.
As more and more of our lives move into the digital sphere, young people have a real hunger for a way in to the seemingly impenetrable world of politics. More digital engagement from politicians could provide just that.
A link to this video was included in the Speaker’s Commission on Digital Democracy’s report.
This article was edited slightly when I moved it to my new website in April 2016