AAPI Identity Work on Reddit: Toward Social Support and Collective Action

Abstract

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) are perceived as the model minority" with a monolithic identity, in contrast to other marginalized racial groups in the United States. In reality, they are composed of different ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, and political ideologies. My research employs social network analysis with qualitative research methods to explore, interpret, and visualize large collections of social media data. I seek to understand how Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) construct and express their identity in online communities and my dissertation research uncovers the ways in which AAPIs negotiate collective action in the context of online identity work."