Meaning-making in Revolt: Framing on Social Media Leading Up to the OK Teachers' Strike

• In Event: 2323 - Student Forum Refereed Roundtable
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: 4. Interrogating Social Action and Political Leadership I

Abstract

The research on social media and political movements has tended to focus on countercultural milieus, such as Tumblr feminists and the alt-right, or more heterogenous movements, such as Occupy Wall Street and the Arab Spring. Very little, if anything, has been written about labor activists’ use of social media. This is important because the dynamics and trajectory of labor movements varies significantly from that of other movement. The United States is currently experiencing a resurgence in working-class combativity due to the decades-long assault on workers’ rights and living conditions during the last few decades. It was precisely in this context that the Teachers’ Strikes of 2018 took place. Teachers went on strike in four different states—West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona, Colorado. Among them, the OK teachers’ strike stands out because it was organized and coordinated almost entirely over social media, specifically through a secret group on Facebook. What follows is an analysis of framing by participants in the two weeks following the creation of the Facebook group.

Author

• Alberto Alvarez, Florida State University