This talk will be presented by Brooke Foucault Welles (Department of Communication Studies, Northeastern University) on November 17, 2021 via Zoom.
To join the talk online, click here for the Zoom link!
Title: “#HashtagActivism: Networks of Race and Gender Justice”
Abstract:
The proliferation of social media has given rise to widespread study and speculation about the impact of digital technologies on politics, activism, and social change. Key among these debates is the role social media play in shaping the contemporary public sphere, and by proxy, our societies. Maligned by some as “slacktivism,” I will argue social media platforms such as Twitter create unique opportunities for often-excluded voices to challenge the terms of public debate. Using the evidence from Twitter hashtag networks assuch as #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo, I will demonstrate how hashtag activism complements other forms of activism to change the terms of mainstream public debates about race and gender justice in the United States.