Media and Student Protests: Defining and Communication Outrage and Incivility via Social Media

• In Event: Global Media and Student Protests

Abstract

As social media platforms like Facebook continue to grow and expand, more and more activists are utilizing them to engage wider audiences and disseminate messages. With Facebook data garnered during Fall 2015 and Spring 2016 about protests at three United States college campuses (University of Missouri, Ithaca College and Yale University), this paper will analyze the outrage and incivility of language used in the posts. The paper will analyze approximately 350 posts by individual students, alumni, faculty, and general public. The authors use the work of Berry and Sobieraj (2014) to define “muscular negativity” that has come to define social media communication. The authors argue that the language of the protest speech on social media take on two dimensions: (a) one of outrage exemplified by various injustices that students and faculty see and experience on campus and (b) the incivility that ensues, most often from critics, who wish to diminish or reject the injustices and outrage speech.

Authors

• Shakuntala Rao, SUNY, Plattsburgh

• Bridget Haina, SUNY Plattsburgh