On research and hope, in an America aflame: sketching youth civic futures as a mother and a researcher

My research – examining youth political expression in online spaces – stems from a longstanding belief in the empowering potential of young people’s online political practices, and a desire to support youth as civic actors. But with the overlapping crises of Coronavirus and #BlackLivesMatter, plus my personal crisis of childcare (or lack thereof) on the tenure track, this year tested my usual optimism. Scrolling through thousands of TikTok videos tagged #BlackLivesMatter, I see social media facilitating powerful political expression and activism, but also hate and trauma. I see brave young people speaking up about their heartbreak, fear and anger, but also emergent youth expressions of nationalism and racism. Doing research in 2020, I can not ignore the fact that, across political divides, the kids are not alright. Had I been too optimistic all along? Was I being hypocritical, rolling my eyes at romanticized depictions of youth activism in the media, while adopting the same optimistic stance in my research? Was I part of the problem, idealizing – or perhaps tokenizing – youth as civic actors? Was Reviewer 2 right all along, when they accused me of being too optimistic about the civic potential of youth online participation?