Electronic parties and political participation in youth

E-parties are a new political party model that promotes the development of democracy and active and effective participation of the public in political processes. The emergence of e-parties can be attributed to the inability of traditional parties to meet the demands of the public and the requirements of the times, their failure to adapt to technological advancements, the public's dissatisfaction with politicians, and the rapid increase in the number and diversity of information and communication technologies over the past two decades. E-parties contribute to encouraging the active involvement of young people in political participation activities due to their internal democratic structure, active and effective participation of members in party policies, equal positioning of leaders with members, and openness of the party structure to members from all segments of society. The aim of this study is to demonstrate that e-parties, as a new political party model that enables active participation of members, have a positive impact on the increased demand for political participation among young people. Therefore, the first part of the study defines e-parties and identifies the points that set them apart from traditional parties, aiming to determine the characteristics of e-parties. Subsequently, information about e-party examples in Turkey and around the world is provided. In the second part of the study, the concept of political participation is defined, focusing on types of political participation and factors influencing political participation. Additionally, the concept of e-participation is defined, and its content and challenges are addressed. In the final section, data obtained from a survey conducted across Turkey is analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistic 26 software. The analysis reveals the effects of e-parties on the level of political participation among young people. The study presents the thoughts and attitudes of young people towards e-parties. Recommendations are also provided to ensure that the problems faced by e-party pioneers in Turkey are not repeated and to enable e-parties to effectively continue their political presence.