The facts and issues regarding youth prospects in the digital society that we presented and discussed in this book are embedded in economic, cultural and social upheavals with enormous consequences for young people's lives. The first two decades of the 21st century were a period characterised by five major societal transformations affecting youth transitions: (1) the spread of neo-liberal economics and politics; (2) deregulation of labour markets and employment; (3) the digital revolution; (4) expansion of higher education; and (5) social media and associated lifestyles. These social, economic and cultural changes have been leading to a dissolution of traditional ways of life, including the decoupling of social classes, social disintegration and uncertainty among large segments of the population, combined with rising populism. They are now joined by more of a natural phenomenon than the conventional human adversary: (6) the COVID-19 pandemic, the consequences of which we discussed in Chapter 8 and return to here.

Changes

Fundamental changes in the public sphere are associated with this transformation. News media (newspapers and television) are losing ground to social media with a trend towards the spread of fake news, and of substituting emotions and opinions for knowledge. These changes document the ambivalent effects of digitalisation and globalisation, including worldwide trade, communication and travel versus new nationalism and tensions within societies and generations, brought about by fewer winners and more losers. These transformations have been leading to increasing contradictions. Responsibility and civic participation are expected of citizens, also young people, while bankers, business managers and some politician act irresponsibly – especially those pursuing a philosophy of neo-liberalism.

It is time to see youth not as a problem but as a resource for societies coping with these changes by promoting free education, successful labour market integration, family formation and national and international political participation. Reliable institutions and pathways are necessary contexts for constructing reflexive identities, building social ties and using digital media to find innovative solutions to societal problems.