International Perspectives on Hashtag Activism as a Form of Political Action: A Qualitative Framing Analysis of #BringBackOurGirls in Nigerian, British, and U.S. Press

• In Event: Digital Media and Communications Activism

Abstract

The uptake of the social media hashtag across both digital and traditional media platforms has resulted in increased awareness and usage of the tool by audiences. Hashtag activism, defined in recent years by campaigns such as the Arab Spring, Occupy and Idle No More movements, has enjoyed both growing popularity with social network users and increased recognition and scrutiny from the mainstream media. The
2014 #BringBackOurGirls campaign garnered unprecedented support among users on social networking platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, resulting in massive global media coverage. It also triggered a new wave of discourse over the legitimacy of hashtag activism and social media-driven movements, as well as the sincerity of the users who support them. Through the lens of Entman’s framing theory, this study uses a qualitative framing analysis to assess the over-arching themes put forth by media in Nigeria, the U.K. and the U.S. about this campaign, identifying key differences in coverage as well as the evolving relationship between mainstream media and social media-driven activism.

Authors

• Derek Moscato, University of Oregon

• S. Senyo Ofori-Parku, U of Oregon