You may have heard a lot of talk about the social media, social networking and web 2.0. But what does it all mean? And is it really anything new?

This section offers definitions of social media and asks so what does it change?

You might think you know what youth engagement and participation is all about.

But have you explored the different dimensions of youth engagement and youth participation and how these might impact upon you approach to using social media for youth engagement?

Check out the youth participation page for more details and links to useful resources.

You can also read about participatory culture which seeks to describe the wider social trends which social media is just one part of. Talk of participatory culture can offer a strong narrative for thinking about the real social impacts of social media.