ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I argue that civic engagement can play a valuable role not just as an end goal of media literacy, but also as its facilitator. Identifying drivers of youth engagement—with causes, communities, and global affairs—is key to designing impactful curricula and community interventions. Reflecting on 20 years of research on youth civic engagement, I observe a shift of values from the consumerist, individualist paradigm of the 2000s to an emerging post-individualism, in which the values of empathy, equality, and sustainability feature prominently. While the self is still central to this, there is also the need to transcend it. This creates interesting opportunities and challenges for media literacy education and social justice action.
