Online Marijuana Legalization Movement: Applying an Integrated Approach to Examine Virtual Issue Framing

• In Event: Advances in Framing Research: Content Analyses

Abstract

The legalization of recreational marijuana presents a valuable context to examine social movement organizations’ (SMOs) online framing strategies. We propose and apply a virtual social movement framing analytic framework to examine how marijuana legalization SMOs virtually framed the issue. This approach is based upon textual and visual framing theory, harnesses the benefits of recent development in software, and integrates new analytic techniques with traditional content analysis. The results reveal different framing strategies between pro- and anti-marijuana SMOs.

Authors

• Tara Marie Mortensen, U of South Carolina

• Aimei Yang, University of Southern California