Australian young people’s participatory practices and Internet use

The Internet is often portrayed as a democratising agent able to facilitate participatory practices. Alternatively, the advent of the Internet is also seen as a contributor to a new class divide; a digital divide between those who access and utilise technology and information, and those who do not, or cannot. It is often assumed that young people are the big winners in the Internet revolution. This chapter discusses these ideas in the Australian context through a focus on three areas: demographic differences and Internet use; the relationship between political participation, broadly defined, and Internet use; and case studies of organisations that facilitate young people’s Internet based participation.