Disruptiing the status quo: A case study of digital mobilization & awareness within Black Lives Matter
Year: 2016
Type: dissertation
Abstract: What sparks a revolution?In August 2014, millions were spurred to action by the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.By fall of that year, protests surrounding Brown's death were subsumed under the organization, Black Lives Matter (BLM).Continuing today, BLM has become a movement that fights to change social discourse and public policies that marginalize Black citizens.Researchers have found that the maintenance of this movement is contingent upon social networks built within the digital sphere.Through the use of social media platforms, BLM now has a community of supporters that stretches into the millions.This study examines the use of the popular Twitter hashtag #AliveWhileBlack in framing social discourse around racial inequality and the Tumblr blog Ferguson National Response Network, as a network used to mobilize citizens on the ground.Using the narratology paradigm and resource mobilization theory, my results find that social media-specifically Twitter-has the unprecedented ability to synthesis digital counter-narratives in a potent manner that quickly evokes reactions.This study also finds that the use of social media to mobilize is most effective at critical points in the movement-specifically 1 to 2 weeks after major incidents.Documenting specific periods, I found significant upticks in citizen activism 1-8 days after the non-indictment of Darren Wilson and 1-20 days after the non-indictment of Daniel Pantaleo.iv This research would have never happened without the help of the following people: My Family -I could not have gotten through six year of college without you.Thank you for your support, your love, and for the endless hours of manual labor you put in moving me in and out of dorm rooms and apartments across the country, Dr. Owen -I honestly feel that it was fate that placed you as my advisor at the beginning of my tenure in CCT.I do not think I could have asked for a more supportive mentor; you have helped me through moments of academic and personal strife with honesty and grace.I will always be appreciative of your thoughtful insight and your kind heart, Dr. Dyson -Thank you for acting as a guide in my final year at Georgetown.You helped me understand the importance of remaining authentic to my own voice and truth in spaces that may not necessarily encourage me to do so, And finally, Mom-You have always set the bar for excellence exceptionally high.While I did not appreciate it in my youth, I now know it was your drive and tenacity that helped me become the person I am today.Thank you for believing in me when I did not believe in myself.This study is dedicated to the tireless men and women who continue to fight for a world where young Black boys and girls are raised to believe that their dreams, their goals, their laughter and tears are worth an infinite amount of love and respect.Your humanity will always be your own.
Author: Tyler Patrice Goodridge
Language: English
Topic: Social Media and Politics
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2503713994