Here is a link to the report I referenced in class on how millennials currently use social media, how they could you social media, or how to get them to use social media to become involved with non-profit organizations. I thought this was appropriate to our discussion on new media and civic participation.
http://themillennialimpact.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/TheMillennialImpactReport2012.pdf
Thanks for posting this! One thing to keep in mind, however, is that their sample is skewed – in the executive summary they note that 95% had at least a bachelors! That is waaaaaaaay over the average. Now of course, if you are a nonprofit, you probably want those highly educated, higher income folks, so this report would be very useful for the intended audience. But what role can new media play in getting people who are not so highly plugged in involved in civic life?
Agreed, it is highly skewed. Admittedly, I am frustrated by polictics so the civic engagement aspect of our study these last two weeks is the more appealing side to me. As we know, those with at least some higher education are more likely to have both a mobile internet capable device and the kind of discretionary time and funds to donate to a cause. It was interesting to see how its findings seemed or mirror some of the findings in Loveland & Popescue about the wants of young people willing to engage in civic discussion. Their wants, such as transparency in where their donated funds are being used, “my biggest pet peeve is not knowing how my gift will make a difference”