Zooming in: how organizations in the Movement for Black Lives use social media as a tool for localized political organizing
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
The Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) has been largely recognized for its ability to mobilize millions of people around the issue of police violence against Black Americans. Considerable attention has been given to the role organizations in the M4BL have played in shaping public discourse by using organizing tools like social media, to draw national attention to the use of police force against Black Americans. Current scholarship brings attention to how political focus has been significantly directed at the national level. Additionally, the use of social media by organizations as a tool to broaden their political and organizational networks has also been studied. My research aims to shed light on instances when organizations use social media as a tool to shift the conversation about politics and policing to the local level and encourage localized political action. This study analyzes the Instagram use of 8 community organizations under the umbrella of the Movement for Black Lives, located in four regions across the United States, in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd. The posts of the organizations were coded based on three criteria: the type of post they were, the level of government they referenced, and the type of political action they depicted or advocated for. The findings of this study suggest that zooming in and focusing on localized political discussion and action is a central component of the social media organizing strategy of community organizations in the Movement for Black Lives.
Description
License
Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International