Authenticity, activism, and the attention economy: Deciphering how Australian young people navigate the social pressures of a techno-social civic landscape

• We have seen a dramatic increase in youth activism on social media. • This qualitative study examines how young people gain an in-depth understanding into how young people reconcile the activism on social media. • The data suggests the young people are critical consumers of digital activism and they are evaluating forms of activism according to their perceptions of authenticity and inauthenticity • The research also suggests digital activism lends to feelings a significant social pressure to have an informed opinion. • Forms of citizenship education in formal schooling do not meet the needs of young people navigating a rapidly changing techno-social civic landscape. Within our digital age, we have seen a dramatic increase in youth activism across various social media platforms focused on a range of issues (e.g., climate change, LGTBQI+ rights, mental health, etc). Given the ubiquity of activism in digital spaces, there is an impetus to gain an in-depth understanding of how young people are interpreting youth’s civic engagement in the digitized attention economy. Based on the analysis of 35 discussion groups with Australian students (ages 14-18), we explore the influence of social media on how young people understand their role as citizens in reference to global, national and local issues. The data suggests the young people we spoke with are critical consumers of digital activism where they are often evaluating forms of activism according to their perceptions of authenticity and inauthenticity. Furthermore, replete in our data are references to Australian young people feeling a social pressure to have an informed opinion on complex human rights related issues. In documenting how young people perceive the activism they consume across digital platforms, and the social consequences, the article concludes with a consideration of what this means for their formal civic education as well as young people’s future civic engagement.