Is the Picture in Focus? Images in Social Movement Mobilization

• In Event: Automated Image Analysis in Practice

Abstract

Large protest events often become known for iconic mobilizing images that emerge either prior to the event or from the event itself. In some cases, scholars attribute the success of protest events to these iconic images, which serve (in effect) as focusing events that draw attention to a cause and inspire coordinated action. However, most research to date examines only successful protest events that include iconic images. It does not attempt to systematically assess the conditions under which images can play a mobilizing role. We address this limitation by using a massive collection of social media data to examine multiple mobilization ‘efforts,’ some of which failed while others succeeded. We ask whether images can help to explain why some of these efforts succeeded, and what types of images, if any, were most effective at mobilizing support.

Authors

• Andreu Casas, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

• Nora Webb Williams, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Kevin Aslett, New York University

• John D. Wilkerson, University of Washington