The fabric of social capital and civic engagement has shifted greatly in the last few decades.
Social scientists have attributed the changing dynamic of social capital and civic engagement to various societal changes such as urban sprawl, longer work commutes, longer working hours, the changing role of the family, and, in more recent times, the advent of various technologies. Americans are spending more time working, commuting, on their phones and computers, and less time networking in organizations.
None of this is a new revelation.
As Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam asserted, many Americans are “bowling alone.”
Less involvement in organizations means less likelihood for citizens to become engaged civically, in order to better the quality of life in their communities, and affect political change.
Additionally, over the past 10 years, the percentage of Americans immersed in some kind of social media, has rapidly grown to a large majority.
With the prevalence of smart phones, many of us are connected to social media at any time and place.
We are more connected to each other in a virtual world in which we can control who is in our circle of friends, with the power to add or delete connections and comments.
Yet, can this be considered a form of civic community and has it filled a void in the lacking of civic engagement?
In some ways, social media has facilitated, inspired and empowered civically-minded individuals.
The Women’s March, organized on social media, and in other ways, inspired more than 1 million people in Washington D.C. and across the world, to march in solidarity, in an effort to express their political voices, both individually with their own signs and messages, and also collectively.
This massive, peaceful march revealed some important realities about civic engagement in a post-Trumpian world.
As we could see from the march, civic engagement and political involvement has become personal.
Women, and men, were marching with signs and slogans regarding issues such as woman’s health and choice, sexism, sexual orientation, racism, xenophobia, health care, etc.
Many of these issues are very personal, and directly affect the quality of life of so many Americans.
These kinds of personal issues currently inspire political expression and involvement.
In this post-Trumpian world, many more Americans are developing their voices, testing their own courage to speak their minds and further develop their mindsets.
Yet, there are so many citizens that are navigating through a society in which the majority of us are bowling alone. When given the chance, with an organized and inclusive effort to express political viewpoints, millions took to the streets.
Almost six months after the inauguration of a President with unprecedented low approval ratings, the vast void of civic engagement in our communities has become a thorn on the side of democratic progress.
If “all politics is local,” then we need to reimagine and revitalize civic engagement in a post-Trumpian world.
As seen in the Women’s March, and in other organizations, there is an enormous skillset, passion, and caring within each and every one of our communities that is not being utilized in the civic and political arena.
Our discontent with political outcomes at the polls cannot be viewed in isolation from the fact that so many of us are disconnected and bowling alone. Small groups of activists cannot replace the widespread inclusion of citizens in local politics.
There is a plentitude of courageous, innovative thinkers, ambitious citizens, and empathetic individuals that are isolated from the political arena.
One silver-lining of the post-Trumpian world is that the glaring defects and isolation within the fabric of our civic community have strengthened and emboldened the voice and ambition of many of our individual fellow citizens who would not necessarily call themselves activists or politically-minded. Politics has become even more personal.
In a recent conversation with a diverse panel of neuroscientists on Long Island, I asked the following question: “Lately, have you felt the increasing need to become political activists?”
Each scientist answered with a resounding “yes.”
In a post-Trumpian society, the need to become actively involved is not left to a small group of professional activists.
This is true not only of the scientists here on Long Island. We are a variety of occupations and unique persons including but not limited to: teachers, parents, grandparents, college students, business owners, PTA moms, and a conglomeration of various talents, skills, values, and interests.
Yet, how many of us are bowling alone right here on Long Island?
The process of local politics needs to evolve past the notion that campaigns are the only time to reach the community. Community outreach and grassroots involvement is crucial for the health and sustainability of a democratic society. The post-Trumpian world of civic engagement reveals the lack of engagement in years prior, and the ramifications of such a lacking. A little bit of organization and outreach can go a long way, as seen in the vibrancy and courage displayed during the Women’s March.
It’s time to reconsider the paradigm of civic engagement. It is through education, and then through our involvement in the community, that individual thinking and perspective evolves.
We may not all revert back to bowling leagues and other such traditional forms of networking.
Yet, it’s certainly possible to facilitate the organization of our local citizenry, so that politics becomes more personal, more inclusive and, in turn, a more effective vehicle of positive change and progress.
Diana Poulos-Lutz
Mineola
