“Positive interactions are enhanced through social media while negative interactions are also intensified” (p. 114).  

“Social media tend to accentuate the burning trend through the past century toward teens’ developing social and cultural forms that are segregated from adult society” (p. 113).

“For most teens, social media do not constitute an alternative or “virtual” world. They are simply another method to connect with their friends and peers in a way that feels seamless with their everyday lives” (p. 84). 

 “While social media have the potential to radically alter the friendship making processes, most teens use these tools to maintain preexisting connections, turn acquaintances into friendships, and develop connections through people they already know” (p. 91). 

-       “Additionally, there is the question of not only how we access the Internet but where we access the Internet.” 

-       Socioeconomic status can determine the ability of a student to access the Internet, but in more ways than just a, “can I or can’t I” situation

-       The differences in how we can access the Internet determine how we can then use it

-       “During our time in the field, only 30 percent of U.S. public schools were meeting the Federal Communications Commission’s minimum Internet access goal of one hundred kilobits per second per student…” 

-       Internet access in schools was not always equal

-       Lower income students technically had access to Internet but it was not always as good

-       Access to technology in better funded (higher income) schools tends to be better than lower income schools 

-       “No development has impacted the media and connected lives of black and Latino teens more than mobile phones.” 

-       The ability to access the Internet and social media via mobile phones was utilized highly by younger ethnic minorities 

-       This helped “bridge the gap” between the higher income and lower income

-       “When Freeway students shared memories of their earliest experiences with social media- MySpace- they consistently spoke about the immense personal satisfaction they gained from building their own personal profiles.” 

-       Teenagers have integrated technology and social media into their lives to the extent that their platforms are an extension of themselves

-       Their methods of personal expression are really ingrained in their online, social media profiles 

·   Starting political groups, writing and distributing political takes, sharing political content, participating in political acts such as boycotts, engaging in political discourse, and engaging politicians are all considered participatory politics

·      The space allows for not just flouting ideological hegemony, but allows access to, or even influence of, the political sphere for people who may be kept out of formal institutions due to discrimination or cost barriers i.e. racialized people, people who have not attended college, young people

·      45% of youth consume news at least once a week via their social media feeds

·      84% of youth would like help understanding how to determine if news online is trustworthy

·      “We all have a friend who tries to mobilize their social network for what they perceive to be a worthy political cause by sending e-mails or text messages that encourage us to act. For these reasons we regard the norms, networks, and skills that develop in online friendship- and interest-driven contexts as a kind of digital social capital with the latent capacity for mobilization when a relevant situation arises” (Cohen & Kahne, 2012, p. 16).

·      Young people interact in interest-based groups online, i.e. around aspects of popular culture or games, and those networks expose individuals to ideas held outside of family, friends, or local offline peer groups, which becomes the impetus for participatory politics and ultimately civic engagement- “Youth who were highly involved in nonpolitical, interest-driven activities are more than five times as likely to engage in participatory politics and nearly four times as likely to participate in all political acts as those infrequently involved in such activities” (Cohen & Kahne, 2012, p. 6)

·       “Contrary to the traditional notion of a technological digital divide, the YPP study finds that overwhelmingly, white (96 percent), black (94 percent), Latino (96 percent) and Asian American (98 percent) youth report having access to a computer that connects to the Internet" (Cohen & Kahne, 2012, p. vii).

·      “Participatory politics is generally equitably distributed across different racial and ethnic groups” (Cohen & Kahne, 2012, p. 6)

·      Black youth are more likely than any other racial or ethnic category to have engaged in participatory politics, institutional politics, or voting

·      37% of youth engage in participatory and institutional politics

·      Youth political participation is still the exception not the norm, despite all this

·      "Focusing on participatory politics, therefore, is important for anyone concerned about the politics of young people and, more broadly, about the future of politics in the United States and abroad" (Cohen & Kahne, 2012, p. x).

·      “The data make it clear that participatory politics represent an important portion of youth political activity as it is practiced today. Thus, if we ignore emerging forms of participatory politics, we will miss a key element of overall political activity” (Cohen & Kahne, 2012, p.13).