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Blue Lives Matter: Identity And The Internet, Jennifer M. Stevens

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Social movements scholars have long studied the role of identity, both individual and collective, in regard to social movement formation, mobilization, and persistence (Snow et al. 1986, Kellner 1995, Darnovsly, Epstein, and Flacks 1995, Jasper 1997, Cerulo 1997, Bernstein 1997; 2002, and Futrell, Simi, and Gottschalk 2006). Advances in technology have made the Internet, and particularly social media, a powerful piece in the activist’s toolkit. While scholars have researched what the Internet means for different social movement organizations, there are many questions to address. I examine the social media platforms (Facebook and Instagram) of the pro-policing social movement organization Blue …