This paper explores the hashtag #AboriginalLivesMatter on Instagram which was widely used in Aust... more This paper explores the hashtag #AboriginalLivesMatter on Instagram which was widely used in Australia as part of a global Black Lives Matter (BLM) response in 2020. We map the participants and themes of #AboriginalLivesMatter through the quantitative coding and qualitative thematic analysis of 603 Instagram posts published with this hashtag in June 2020. We find that this conversation is largely driven by celebrities and non-Indigenous participants and framed by themes including expressing the problem as first-person experience, offering solutions, reporting, performing empty statements, and expressing US-centrism. Drawing on critiques of connective action and our analysis of the Instagram platform, we suggest that these findings are indicative of the tensions negotiated between incorporating allies on platforms that prioritise sharing first-person experiences; balancing the communicative capacities of Instagram with its inherently commercialised digital cultures; and, drawing on the spreadability of global digital movements while maintaining cultural specificity for local activists.
This paper explores the hashtag #AboriginalLivesMatter on Instagram which was widely used in Aust... more This paper explores the hashtag #AboriginalLivesMatter on Instagram which was widely used in Australia as part of a global Black Lives Matter (BLM) response in 2020. We map the participants and themes of #AboriginalLivesMatter through the quantitative coding and qualitative thematic analysis of 603 Instagram posts published with this hashtag in June 2020. We find that this conversation is largely driven by celebrities and non-Indigenous participants and framed by themes including expressing the problem as first-person experience, offering solutions, reporting, performing empty statements, and expressing US-centrism. Drawing on critiques of connective action and our analysis of the Instagram platform, we suggest that these findings are indicative of the tensions negotiated between incorporating allies on platforms that prioritise sharing first-person experiences; balancing the communicative capacities of Instagram with its inherently commercialised digital cultures; and, drawing on t...
In this article, we analyze the use of #MeToo and #HimToo in response to the hearings on sexual a... more In this article, we analyze the use of #MeToo and #HimToo in response to the hearings on sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. We explore the use of these hashtags within the context of popular feminism and employ a qualitative thematic analysis of a purposeful sample of Tweets that include the hashtags #MeToo (n = 730) and #HimToo (n = 124) collected between September 23 and 27, 2018. We find that four themes are mirrored in both #MeToo and #HimToo tweets: personal experience; identification and disidentification; calls to action; and discursive appropriation. Although the sample size was limited and the relative popularity of these oppositional hashtags must be considered, these findings offer support for Banet-Weiser’s suggestion that popular feminism is structurally mirrored by popular misogyny. Thus, although there is evidence that individuals link their deployment of these two hashtags to explicit political calls to action, we suggest that t...
This study examined audience commentary on Fox News, Cable News Network, and MSNBC’s YouTube and ... more This study examined audience commentary on Fox News, Cable News Network, and MSNBC’s YouTube and Facebook platforms associated with news stories on Nike’s selection of controversial former National Football League quarterback Colin Kaepernick as the spokesman for its 2018 campaign. The study, using the theory of gatekeeping as a starting point, sought evidence for a drowning effect, in which the audience strayed from the primary message of the journalism presented to it. Content analysis revealed a significant drowning effect across platforms and outlets.
As many as 130 lives are lost every day in the United States due to prescription drug misuse. The... more As many as 130 lives are lost every day in the United States due to prescription drug misuse. The opioid crisis is gripping the country and disrupting the lives of millions. Not surprisingly, health organizations are desperately seeking solutions to educate and inform people regarding the issue, often seeking the help of various social media platforms. In this study, we do a content analysis of Twitter messages related to opioids in order to understand the factors that are most likely to influence content sharing. Our findings indicate that structure, source, and the actual content of the post all influence the likelihood of the content’s being shared. Specifically, certain types of content enhanced the likelihood of content sharing whereas use of the term “addiction” discouraged retweeting. Theoretical and practical implications for message design are discussed.
This paper explores the hashtag #AboriginalLivesMatter on Instagram which was widely used in Aust... more This paper explores the hashtag #AboriginalLivesMatter on Instagram which was widely used in Australia as part of a global Black Lives Matter (BLM) response in 2020. We map the participants and themes of #AboriginalLivesMatter through the quantitative coding and qualitative thematic analysis of 603 Instagram posts published with this hashtag in June 2020. We find that this conversation is largely driven by celebrities and non-Indigenous participants and framed by themes including expressing the problem as first-person experience, offering solutions, reporting, performing empty statements, and expressing US-centrism. Drawing on critiques of connective action and our analysis of the Instagram platform, we suggest that these findings are indicative of the tensions negotiated between incorporating allies on platforms that prioritise sharing first-person experiences; balancing the communicative capacities of Instagram with its inherently commercialised digital cultures; and, drawing on the spreadability of global digital movements while maintaining cultural specificity for local activists.
This paper explores the hashtag #AboriginalLivesMatter on Instagram which was widely used in Aust... more This paper explores the hashtag #AboriginalLivesMatter on Instagram which was widely used in Australia as part of a global Black Lives Matter (BLM) response in 2020. We map the participants and themes of #AboriginalLivesMatter through the quantitative coding and qualitative thematic analysis of 603 Instagram posts published with this hashtag in June 2020. We find that this conversation is largely driven by celebrities and non-Indigenous participants and framed by themes including expressing the problem as first-person experience, offering solutions, reporting, performing empty statements, and expressing US-centrism. Drawing on critiques of connective action and our analysis of the Instagram platform, we suggest that these findings are indicative of the tensions negotiated between incorporating allies on platforms that prioritise sharing first-person experiences; balancing the communicative capacities of Instagram with its inherently commercialised digital cultures; and, drawing on t...
In this article, we analyze the use of #MeToo and #HimToo in response to the hearings on sexual a... more In this article, we analyze the use of #MeToo and #HimToo in response to the hearings on sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. We explore the use of these hashtags within the context of popular feminism and employ a qualitative thematic analysis of a purposeful sample of Tweets that include the hashtags #MeToo (n = 730) and #HimToo (n = 124) collected between September 23 and 27, 2018. We find that four themes are mirrored in both #MeToo and #HimToo tweets: personal experience; identification and disidentification; calls to action; and discursive appropriation. Although the sample size was limited and the relative popularity of these oppositional hashtags must be considered, these findings offer support for Banet-Weiser’s suggestion that popular feminism is structurally mirrored by popular misogyny. Thus, although there is evidence that individuals link their deployment of these two hashtags to explicit political calls to action, we suggest that t...
This study examined audience commentary on Fox News, Cable News Network, and MSNBC’s YouTube and ... more This study examined audience commentary on Fox News, Cable News Network, and MSNBC’s YouTube and Facebook platforms associated with news stories on Nike’s selection of controversial former National Football League quarterback Colin Kaepernick as the spokesman for its 2018 campaign. The study, using the theory of gatekeeping as a starting point, sought evidence for a drowning effect, in which the audience strayed from the primary message of the journalism presented to it. Content analysis revealed a significant drowning effect across platforms and outlets.
As many as 130 lives are lost every day in the United States due to prescription drug misuse. The... more As many as 130 lives are lost every day in the United States due to prescription drug misuse. The opioid crisis is gripping the country and disrupting the lives of millions. Not surprisingly, health organizations are desperately seeking solutions to educate and inform people regarding the issue, often seeking the help of various social media platforms. In this study, we do a content analysis of Twitter messages related to opioids in order to understand the factors that are most likely to influence content sharing. Our findings indicate that structure, source, and the actual content of the post all influence the likelihood of the content’s being shared. Specifically, certain types of content enhanced the likelihood of content sharing whereas use of the term “addiction” discouraged retweeting. Theoretical and practical implications for message design are discussed.
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