Chapter 6: “Democracy, Civic Action, and Activism”

Chapter six of Participatory Culture in a Networked Era opens with an introduction by Henry Jenkins. Jenkins begins the discussion on “Democracy, Civic Action, and Activism” by discussing the role of participatory culture, and more precisely fan culture, in political engagement and the articulation of a better world. He uses the term “civic imagination”, or the relationship between “acts of the imagination and the origins of political consciousness”.

“Before we can change the world, we need to be able to imagine what another, better world might look like.”

Jenkins asserts that young people are learning to understand themselves as political agents and expressing their political visions with the help of language and practices inspired by popular culture and participatory culture. He uses the example of how is own involvement in the Star Trek fandom gave him the opportunity to see diverse people working together. This is something that he was sheltered from in his segregated Atlanta neighborhood in the 1960’s. For Jenkins, this contributed to his vision of what a better society might look like.

Next, Jenkins writes about a deviation from standard research that typically suggested that young people follow the political example laid forth by their parents, teachers, and school communities.  He notes that, according to the YPP network, involvement in informal learning communities like fandoms and gaming influence the political involvement of young people as well.

Later in the chapter, the challenge of “transfer” is discussed. This refers to figuring out the connections between these online, niche worlds and other sites of power.

“It’s important to recognize both the ways in which participatory culture and online worlds develop these kinds of capacities in their participants and that these capacities need to be explicitly organized to have influence in ‘big P’ politics.”

The authors note the importance of building pathways from politics within an online, participatory culture to more traditional forms of political action. Participation in the Harry Potter fandom is used as an example of the process of empowering fantasy and then linking it to real-world issues and problems. The Harry Potter Alliance (HPA) created a space for fans to participate in a way that makes a real difference in the world. Jenkins mentions that HPA has partnered with government agencies and non-profit organizations to participate in activities such as shipping books to Africa and fighting for marriage equality.   

“The HPA has been very effective at helping participants to map their identities as fans onto their identities as citizens or activists and to organize an effective network committed to ongoing social change.”

Toward the end of the chapter, other network-enabled political activist groups are discussed. Included in this discussion is the group that calls themselves Anonymous. This network has spoken out against and targeted government agencies and commercial entities. While many are critical of this groups fight against anyone that they deem corrupt, Danah Boyd argues that this group is an example of young people coming together in a networked, coordinated effort and that this group is an example of the emergence of new forms of activism.

Is this political activism or anarchy? Jenkins questions who really gets to decide what counts as politics. He notes that many young people who are a part of this culture would be hesitant to label their actions as political or civic. “Youth see themselves as exerting change at a cultural rather than an institutional level”, Jenkins writes. This is acceptable, he argues. And we need to accept this as politics.