Date Approved
2019
Degree Type
Open Access Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department or School
Communication, Media and Theatre Arts
Committee Member
Doris Fields, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Raymond Quiel, M.A.
Abstract
American society is consumed by social media; thus, digital activism is becoming a prevalent way of advocating for and establishing social progress. The purpose of this study was to identify the frequency of engagement with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter by Twitter users. The data collection consisted of tweets shared between the time frame of July 17, 2014, to August 17, 2014. The methodology used was content analysis, which included the examination of the volume of Twitter tweets collected from this time frame. This research adds to the impending design of a social movement structure that includes online social movements. The present thesis aims to contribute to the larger conversation of digital activism by exploring the implications, potentialities, and contributions of the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag by analyzing how Twitter users engage with a digital social movement on Twitter.
Recommended Citation
Grimes, Ashleigh, "#BlackLivesMatter: How a hashtag maintains a movement: A content analysis of the Black Lives Matter hashtag on Twitter" (2019). Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. 981.
https://commons.emich.edu/theses/981