Date Thesis Awarded
5-2024
Access Type
Honors Thesis -- Open Access
Degree Name
Bachelors of Arts (BA)
Department
Government
Advisor
Mackenzie Israel-Trummel
Committee Members
Geneva Cole
Alexandra Joosse
Abstract
Framing disputes within social movement organizations have been shown to damage people’s opinions of the organization and the organization's ability to maintain mobilization. However, the majority of the research surrounding framing disputes has been conducted through case studies at in-person movement meetings. While these town hall-style meetings do still take place, many social movement organizations have begun to utilize social media as a part of their regular interactions with supporters and messaging efforts. This study employs a survey experimental design to examine the effects of online framing disputes on how social movement organizations are perceived and their ability to generate mobilization. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups where they were presented with a story about a student-run social movement organization and their use of social media. One group's article included a description of a framing dispute happening in the comments of the organization's posts. They were then polled on their opinions of the organization and how likely they were to willingly interact with the organization and its activities. Findings suggest that while online framing disputes did negatively affect how cohesive participants viewed the social movement organization to be, they did not affect mobilization nor how successful people thought the social movement organization was likely to be. These findings go against the previous findings on the effects of framing disputes in in-person settings, suggesting there is something unique about the digital setting.
Recommended Citation
Trahan, Alison, "An Experimental Test on the Effects of Digital Framing Disputes on Social Movement Organization’s Mobilization and Organizational Image" (2024). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 2143.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/2143
