Youth portals and social networks: public communication for engagement and participation

Abstract

Research on youth political participation suggests the existence of apathy and detachment of the Brazilian youth from formal political institutions, but they indicate the growth of other forms of social engagement, such as collective mobilization that claims urban mobility rights, health and education. This phenomenon seems to be considered by public communication initiatives performed by governments on the Internet, given the growing number of portals dedicated to the dissemination of information on public policies for young people. There is, however, the lack of research evaluating the online official channels that seek to encourage the participation and the engagement around the formal political institutions. This project aims to produce scientific knowledge about the adequacy of communication management strategies in government web portals and official social networks in relation to their potential service for the right to information on public policies and encouraging social engagement and democratic participation young. The specific objectives aim to: a) assess the quality of information on public policies of the youth on government web portals in order to investigate whether the available content offer comprehensive benefits according to specific categories of information; b) investigate whether processes and strategies of public communication employed in official social networks promote the dialogue between youth and governments; c) analyze whether the existing spaces for conversation in the official social networks, including forums and public consultations, favor desirable qualities to public deliberation; d) facing the results achieved, interpreted based on the specialized literature, reflect whether the digital communication achievements have the potential to foster democratic participation and social engagement of young people, besides presenting recommendations for its improvement.