[1] As an academic subject, Civics has the instructional objective to promote knowledge that is aligned with self-governance and participation in matters of public concern.
[3] Young people are constructing and supporting their political identities in the 21st century by using social media, and digital tools (e.g. text messaging, hashtags, videos) to share, post, reply an opinion or attitude about a political/social topic and to promote social mobilization and support through online mechanism to a wide and diverse audience.
[5] The findings include:[6] The lack of state-mandated student accountability relating to civics may be a result of a shift in emphasis towards reading and mathematics in response to the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act.
[11] According to a 2007 study conducted by the Pew Research Center, among teens 12–17 years old, 95% have access to the Internet, 70% go online daily, 80% use social networking sites, and 77% have cell phones.
[13] The pervasiveness of participatory digital tools has led to a shift in the way adolescents today perceive civic action and participation.
[12] This shift in students' perceptions has led to classroom civic education experiences that reflect the digital world in which 21st century youth now live, in order to make the content both relevant and meaningful.