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Twitter and the Affordance of Public Agenda-Setting: A Case Study of #MarchForOurLives

In the traditional agenda-setting theory, the agenda-setters were the news media and the public has a minimal role in the process of agenda-setting, which makes the public a passive receiver located at the bottom in the top-down agenda-setting dynamics. This study claims that with the development of Information communication technologies, primarily social media, the networked public may be able to set their own agendas through connective actions, outside the influence of the news media agenda. There is little empirical research focused on development and dynamics of public agenda-setting through social media platforms. Understanding the development and dynamics of public agenda-setting may be key to accounting for and overcoming conflicting findings in previous reverse agenda-setting research. This study examined the public agenda-setting dynamics through a case of gun violence prevention activism Twitter network, the #MarchForOurLives Twitter network. This study determined that the agenda setters of the #MarchForOurLives Twitter network are the key Never Again MSD student leaders and the March For Our Lives. The weekly reflected important events and issues and the identified topics were highly co-related with the themes examined in the tweets created by the agenda setters. The amplifiers comprised the vast majority of the tweets. The advocates and the supporters consisted of 0.44% and 4.43% respectively. The tweets made by the agenda setters accounted for 0.03%. The young activists and the like-minded and participatory public could continuously make changes taking advantage of technologies, and they could be the hope in the current and future society.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc1707328
Date08 1900
CreatorsChong, Mi Young
ContributorsEverbach, Tracy, Ding, Junhua, O'Connor, Brian Clark, Nisbett, Gwen
PublisherUniversity of North Texas
Source SetsUniversity of North Texas
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis or Dissertation
Formatix, 134 pages, Text
RightsPublic, Chong, Mi Young, Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights Reserved.

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