Boyd vs. Bennett

Both of these articles focused on the roles of people using Social Networking Sites and their activism (or lack thereof). Boyd and Bennett seemed to agree that the young people of recent generations are not being as active as those of older generations. Boyd attributes this to a lack of motivation while Bennett believes that it is due to a difference in motivation.

Bennett believes that while people used to participate in political activism due to a sense of duty, people are doing it nowadays in order to pursue self-actualization. This need for self-actualization mirrors the narcissism that Boyd spoke of. In Boyd's critique of SNSes, the common subject matter of online discussion is primarily self-indulgent rather than working towards any sort of social or political goal.

Where Boyd and Bennett differ is the idea that people are involved in serious matters at all. Boyd seems to content that there is little to no motivation whatsoever towards political subject matter, and I might agree. Bennett argues that people are involved, but in a more passive manner. They are doing it for themselves, rather than for a greater purpose. I also agree here. People are certainly becoming less active politically, this can easily be proven by voting rates. Whether or not they are bothering to be involved at all is another question.