The Impact of the Internet News on the Political Awareness of the Youth

Abstract

The Internet is an interesting source of information for many people today. Many studies investigated the Internet as a means of communication but little attention was given to its role in enhancing political awareness and civic engagement among the youth. Recently the interest in politics is noticeably on the increase, especially among the youth in several countries. This article aims at describing and explaining the role of exposure to the Internet news in promoting political awareness and citizenship among the youth, by providing the Moroccan context as a case study. Over the last decades, communication has become much easier, smoother and less expensive thanks to the Information Communication Technologies (ICT). The Internet as a valuable public sphere provides several avenues that encourage the youth to involve in different disciplines such as education, economics, and politics. Moreover, the advancement of technology has invaded different areas in life; a case in point is the irresistible dominance of the Internet use in the age of digital news and information. Roughly all different types of traditional media, such as television news, radio news programs, magazine advertorials and newspaper articles have extended its version into this new sophisticated field, namely the Internet. Thus, based on an exhaustive review of literature, this article addresses some interesting issues related to civic engagement, the Internet use and political awareness among the youth. Eventually the article ends with some critical insights and directions for prospective research. Keywords: The Internet, political awareness, the youth, democracy, online journalism DOI: 10.7176/NMMC/103-04 Publication date: December 31 st 2022