Mobilizing Media: Comparing TV and Social Media Effects on Protest Mobilization

• In Event: 2264 - Internet and Society: Hate, Inequality, and the Digital Divide

Abstract

The year 2017 saw a cycle of protest ignited by President Trump’s election and subsequent policies. What is the role of social media in this cycle of protest? How does social media differ from television in awareness of protest events and participation in marches and demonstrations? This paper uses data from two surveys conducted in May and June 2017, during the height of this cycle of protest. We explore the role of social media for protest participation (in general) as well as for awareness and participation in the Women’s March and March for Science. We find that Facebook and Twitter use predicts both awareness and participation in the Women’s March and March for Science. In contrast, television use does not have a mobilizing effect on protest participation. Indeed, television use is negatively correlated with participation in marches and demonstrations (in general). We explain this mobilization process through the social networking features of social media that allow people to learn about the issues tied to the event, expose people to invitations to participation, and finally, encourage people to discuss the event and related issues.

Authors

• Shelley J. Boulianne, MacEwan University

• Karolina Koc-Michalska, Audencia Business School (France)

• Bruce Bimber, University of California-Santa Barbara