Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Hashtag Activism As A Form Of Political Action: A Qualitative Analysis Of The #Bringbackourgirls Campaign In Nigerian, Uk, And U.S. Press, Sylvester Senyo Ofori-Parku, Derek Moscato

Journalism Faculty Publications

Researchers have argued that social media such as Twitter redistribute news media’s power over how issues are framed to scattered networks of activists and citizens. But what happens when an online campaign such as #BringBackOurGirls against Boko Haram’s kidnapping of Nigerian schoolgirls garners global media coverage? Using qualitative frame analysis, this study assesses how news media in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and the United States framed the #BBOG activism campaign and finds key differences in news coverage. Despite Twitter’s potential for “networked framing” and diffusing news media’s power over discourses, the differential framing and localization of #BBOG in the United …