Rodolfo Leyva

Exploring UK Millennials’ Social Media Consumption Patterns and Participation in Elections, Activism, and “Slacktivism”

This study explores how UK young adults’ exposure to social networking sites (SNSs) and attention to specific SNS content relate to their political practices. Data were collected from a diverse group of undergraduates during the 2015 General Election and Labour leadership campaign via a web survey designed with novel instruments (e.g., simulated Facebook and Twitter newsfeeds). Results indicate that regular use of varying SNSs and attention to certain political content—for example, newsfeeds about student-fee activism—have a positive weak association with off-line formal and activist participation and a considerably stronger association with online “slacktivism.” Moreover, exposure to SNSs was found similarly high across respondents. However, those with typical demographic and psychographic markers of participation (e.g., upper socioeconomic status, early political socialization) showed significantly greater levels of engagement with political content and off-line and online participation. Together, these findings suggest that frequent social media consumption is linked to a minimal and narrow mobilizing impact.

Highlighting the wider relevance of science centre evaluations: a reflection on the evaluation of a physics engagement programme

This paper reflects on the evaluation of and findings from a nationwide programme of physics engagement activities hosted by 10 science centres across the UK. We discuss our findings indicating the affordances of the programme with reference to the wider literature in order to draw out elements of the project that may be useful for other science learning and engagement initiatives. In particular, we discuss findings that relate to contemporary research and policy interests around the engagement of girls in science, the key ages at which young people’s views may best be influenced, the importance of explicating the nature of ‘real-world’ content and careers, and the value of collaborative partnerships.

On the Psychology and Libertarian Socialism of Erich Fromm

Disheartened by the rise of fascism in Western Europe and mass consumerism in the US, the 1930s group of exiled German intellectuals collectively known as the Frankfurt School, sought to investigate why significant numbers of individuals from advanced industrial societies seemed to so willingly succumb to hierarchical political-economic structures that breed rampant inequality and social alienation.