Empowering the Anti-Establishment Collective: The Leftist Information Community: America is facing extreme political polarization, exacerbated by distrust in the American political system, the misinformation epidemic, and cynicism towards current and future society. Disillusionment towards a system they see as failing marginalized peoples has spurred the adoption of leftist ideology amongst younger generations. Research into the information behaviors and needs of politically active individuals that do not identify with either the Democratic or Republican party appears to be scant, if not nearly non-existent. As Americans grow critical of traditional information sources and the two-party system, research into the growing leftist community is critical to understanding the behaviors and needs of those falling outside of the political binary. By understanding leftists, information professionals will be better equipped to fulfill their critical roles in promoting digital information literacy and informed civic engagement in an era dominated by social media and threatened by the erosion of the democratic process.

Brenna Sitta was born and raised in San Diego, California, where countless hours spent reading every information plaque in museums, tearing through books, and exploring Old Town San Diego instilled a passion for reading and history within her, a passion that remains strong to this day. Although initially coming to San Jose State to study forensic science in late 2021, she graduated with a BA in History in May 2024. She hopes to use her experience within the MLIS degree program and as a student assistant at SJSU’s Special Collections and Archives to become an archivist in the future. As of now, her obsession with reading has only been catalyzed by her job at a used bookstore, and the time she doesn’t spend reading is taken by music, podcasts, word searches, and watching Ghost Adventures.