Politics is one of the most powerful tools for transforming societies. However, this transformation can only be possible through a youth that questions and renews the existing order not only from within but also from the outside. Today, one of the biggest shortcomings of social movements and political struggles is the alienation of youth from these processes. Youth were once the most powerful actors of social change, but today's political structures not only exclude them, but also create an environment that isolates them from political processes. So how does this youth think, what do they demand and why are they alienated from politics?
Today's youth are growing up in a world that is changing faster than ever before. Digitalization, globalization, environmental crises and social movements are pushing them further away from traditional social structures, dogmatic and conservative ideological patterns and old political systems. How compatible is the spirit of the times with old institutions? While old political structures are often hierarchical, stoic and based on an ideological framework, youth, on the contrary, seek flexibility, freedom and instant solutions in a rapidly changing world. As part of a culture of “fast consumption” and “fast change”, young people find old political discourses and structures inadequate and ineffective. While political movements are often stuck in the narrow and stereotyped ideological boundaries of the past, young people are looking for a politics that is in the spirit of the times, flexible and open to transformation.
Many observers claim that young people are becoming increasingly disengaged with politics. However, this does not mean that young people have completely distanced themselves from politics. Young people's demands regarding politics have changed. They are not interested in existing political structures, but in demands to transform them. This is a kind of “active alienation” because young people feel that the old political order does not suit them and they want to change it. The old structures and traditional forms of political participation stand in the way of young people's demands for rapid change and transformation. Youth perceive politics not only as a participatory act, but also as a movement that seeks to bring about effective change in society. If these political structures ignore this desire for change, they will have lost them completely.
The harsh attitude of political institutions towards the way young people dress, behave and digitally identify is another important source of alienation. Youth want to express their identity freely, but old institutions are still based on traditional, normative and conservative patterns. The way young people use social media, their choice of clothes and cultural practices clash with the conservative minds of the old institutions. This alienates young people not only from political institutions but from all areas of the social structure. The old institutions find it difficult to accept these innovative and free identities, which leads young people to not see themselves as part of the existing political institutions. Because these old, outdated and inactive institutions perceive the “new” as a threat and retreat to traditional norms.
As one of the most fundamental promises of democracy, political participation is an important tool shaping young people's aspirations. However, their faith in democracy is often disappointed. Young people often find the opportunities offered by participatory democracy narrow and insufficient. Democratic processes fail to respond quickly to their demands; elections become a mere formality. Young people see democracy not only as elections, but also as creating social change, having a voice and participating with equal rights. However, since the existing political structures fail to respond to these demands, young people lose their interest and participation in politics. Participation should not just be about casting a vote, it should be an effective tool for creating social change.
Another factor behind the alienation of youth from politics is the exclusion of their identities and values by political structures. Today's youth not only seek to be political actors, but also to defend and recognize their own identities. Issues such as gender, ethnicity, cultural belonging and digital identity have become an integral part of young people's political identity. However, old political structures often prevent the reflection of youth identities by defending uniform cultural understandings and norms. Youth are demanding a more pluralistic and egalitarian approach to politics. As long as these demands are not met, old political institutions and parties alienate the youth. Youth not only want to take part in the system, but also to change, transform and reshape it.
Today, we live in an age on the axis; social, cultural and political dynamics are changing rapidly. But old political structures often fail to grasp the speed and depth of this change. Old institutions tend to see youth as a threat. This is because the youth have become a force that questions the patterns of the old order and develops alternatives to it. This translates into a strategy that prevents and excludes young people from participating in politics. The old political structures exclude youth from politics by defending traditional ideological discourses, preserving the status quo and preventing the transformation of society. This is because young people have the potential to transform the social structure and are full of the desire to be the pioneers of this transformation.
However, there is a critical question here: Do the old institutions not recognize this transformation? Perhaps they do, but the transformation is so rapid and profound that these structures cannot keep up. To defend and protect themselves, the old institutions continue to perpetuate the traditional and naturalistic ideologies of the past. This becomes a strategy that causes society to go backwards. But this further alienates the youth. They recognize not only the old, but also the weaknesses of the existing order and want to transform it.
In conclusion, the alienation of youth from political movements and processes of social transformation is not only a loss of interest, but also a consequence of the social structure being stuck in old and rigid patterns. The youth are not a threat but an opportunity against political institutions that continue to exist by defending the old. As a generation capable of leading social change, they want to build a more just, equitable and sustainable world, not only for themselves but for society as a whole. But this change will only be possible if young people actively participate in social processes, rather than just waiting outside. If the old political structures do not embrace this transformation, they will be left behind in future social, cultural and political dynamics. Young people are not only involved in change and transformation, they are also a force that will rebuild the new. Therefore, a politics that does not understand the youth and does not give them space will be far from creating real change.