#ProtestPolicing
Intersecting race and social media activism in the Mile High City
Keywords:
Social Media, Activism, Social Movement, Race & Ethnicity, PolicingAbstract
Demonstrations addressing police use of force stress the importance of revisiting the organization strategies of social movements. Fatal use of force against individuals of color continues to tarnish police-community relations. Social media helps elevate the political movement addressing police use of force, but understanding social media as an activist resource remains underdeveloped. Resource mobilization theory is applied to the conceptualization of protest activities to describe how activists use social media as a resource to initiate and create local community change. This exploratory study consists of 20 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with activists over 18 years old and fieldwork observation. While social media provides versatility to social activism, is a resource for community awareness, and unifies acts of resistance, divisiveness exists about the role of online activism. Social media does not replace in-person protest activities, but it supports accessible organizing. Research implications identify the need for social media and in-person holistic approaches that work towards racial healing.
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