24 March 2003

Youth, Politics and eDemocracy: An Online Experience

By Rebecca Newton, Director of Community Development and Education for CommunityPeople.net

More and more, young people are turning to the web to discuss their concerns, fears, and opinions about the pre-emptive strikes on Iraq. One such discussion has been held daily in the popular UK teen site, Habbo Hotel (www.habbo.com), a 3-D chat and gaming environment that plays host to a community of 3 million members worldwide.

Habbo Hotel contains war discussion guest rooms created by and for teens (who assume the identities of hotel guests or 'habbos') that are ranking high among the virtual hotel's most-popular room list. In this alternative universe, the war debate rooms are now contending with established meeting hubs such as "Simpsons' Quiz", "Bingo", and the ever-popular Trading rooms.

Parents: If you really want to know your children, spend 10 minutes online with them - you'd be amazed at how articulate and pensive kids are when they're in their online community element. I dropped in recently on a hotel guest room war debate/discussion to get a feel for what teens are thinking and was impressed not only by how internet savvy kids are, but also with how expressive they can be regarding politics, government and community issues.

Community of the future: Habbos in their virtual world

It's not unusual at Habbo Hotel to see NHS Hospital rooms, FBI rooms, Habbo Police Departments, Adoption Centres, and just about every civic and business organisation or service imaginable imitated. This was the first time I had noticed war discussion rooms in what is usually a place for young people to avoid their studies or chores, and socialise of course.

The War Debate Room held 23 habbos from all walks of life, spanning most of the Western world. Everyone was comfortably seated on cozy, well-arranged virtual sofas and chairs in a well-decorated virtual guest room. There was equal representation of the sexes, and the fashion was to die for. Fashion and décor aside, the discussion was the most appealing aspect of my visit.

Some teens were shouting "Down with Bush" while others were pleading that Bush's main objective is world peace and safety. As with any political debate, there were uncivilized moments, which were promptly dealt with via peer pressure (and good community tools). The general tone of the debate showed the young people to be well informed and thoughtful about their political positions. It was quite impressive. In fact, I know a few adults who could learn a few things by watching the Habbo teens discuss politics. Most impressive is how effortlessly they interact online. They're totally comfortable in their community space and communicate as easily as they might offline in a classroom or mall. These web-integrated young people are perhaps our future politicians, or civil servants or business people, or who knows what. But they are the people who will be voting, contributing to society, paying taxes, and governing the future.

"The Iraq crisis is the latest topic the community has self-selected to express their views on," comments Andrew Campbell-Edie, Habbo's UK Marketing Manager. "In the past there have been great debates around the causes and effects of September 11th, the death of the Queen Mother and other notable dates. Habbo Hotel provides a valuable outlet for these views and gives teenagers a forum to articulate their feelings and thoughts. It also gives them the satisfaction of knowing that their views are valid."

In sharp contrast to Habbo, at the AOL News & Politics channel I found adults using foul language, aggressive behavior, and incomprehensible text in their "discussion" about the current Iraq situation. I wouldn't repeat most of what I witnessed in the chat and boards, but overall, I found maybe one out of 100 community members to be civilized, articulate and informed.

These two online communities may be at the opposite ends of the virtual spectrum, but the point is that young people are adept in e-communications. They don't just "play" online - they interact, learn, share, form their own communities, and in some cases spend most of their waking hours online. Wouldn't it follow that we have a responsibility to be forward-thinking and provide them with quality e-services?

Other articles by Rebecca Newton:
- Building the eDemocracy Bridge
- Great Expectations: An Update on Public Involvement in the Draft Communications Bill

Rebecca Newton is the Director of Community Development and Education for CommunityPeople.net. She can be reached by e-mail at: Rebecca@communitypeople.net

For information on CommunityPeople's online teen facilitation and moderation courses, please visit : http://www.online-community-training.com