Teen Activism and Civic Participation: A Cross-Case Analysis

This article examines the literacy practices among youth of color in social media spaces dedicated to activism and civic engagement. Drawing on a 3-month multicase qualitative online study, the author analyzed interviews, social media artifacts, and case narratives to uncover how teens leverage social media for social justice advocacy, with attention to their civic participation and identities. Findings reveal that youth utilize social media to advocate for social justice by: (a) refining social media literacies for activism, action, and allyship; (b) reimagining society and a new government framework through social media literacies; and (c) making sense of the intersections of marginalized identities in social media spaces. Implications for leveraging youth of color's multimodal literacy practices and online engagement in civic-focused literacy activities, such as the role multimodality plays in teens’ lives and how teachers can utilize teens’ expertise in this area to enhance their literacy knowledge and practices are discussed.