Involvement of Young Citizens in Transnational Communications flows: Together for Europe

Abstract

The article aims at analysing emerging communication flows of transnational public debate supported and promoted by European institutions. Innovative practices that involve youngsters are the main focus. The article presents a qualitative study conducted through the analysis of the together.eu initiative, a pan-European community promoted by the European Parliament after the 2019 elections. The research was supported by semi-structured in-depth interviews with some young Italian volunteers of the community and co-founders of independent organisations.

The results show the ability of young people to play a sort of ambassadors or micro-influencers roles. In such experiences, European institutions work like a connecting point to bring young Europeans closer to each other and sometimes they operate as "activators" of participation. Nevertheless, young activists easily go beyond the institutional framework if they feel confident their own initiatives can reach their peers more effectively. An important caveat emerges in relation to these networks of communication: the young people involved appear to be those already interested in public debates on European issues.

Keywords: European identity, European institutions, youth, social media, public sector communication, higher education students