YOUTH PARTICIPATION IN POLITICS IN DIGITAL ERA.

The engagement of young people in politics and their involvement in policy-making is of particular importance and has always been one of the most important conditions for achieving participatory democracy, as well as the uninterrupted development of society in general. This is especially true for countries in transition, such as the countries of the Western Balkans, where a new yet dysfunctional democratic system has been installed, where even today there are different ideologies and not well defined. Moreover, stagnation in terms of social and economic development, environmental development and the creation of favorable conditions for employment and advancement of young people have caused these countries to face a lack of political interest in young people, loss of interest in staying there, and their escape outside, a phenomenon known as brain drain. On the other hand, the development of information technology in recent years creates new opportunities for the engagement of young people and their organization through various social networks. Recently, political parties have also noticed the potential of these networks, which combined with the skills and knowledge of young people give the right advantage in the conditions of an electoral race. However, all this takes place at a social cost which sometimes poses a risk in terms of security, respect for the law and deviance among young people, accompanied by hate speech and inadequate institutional and legal preparation by the state. For this reason, these points will also be the focus of this paper, through which we will try to shed some light on this not very researched field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]