Hybrid Framing in the Justice for Antwon Rose II Movement

Abstract

In this mixed methods study of a grassroots racial justice movement, Justice for Antwon Rose II (J4A), we analyze framing processes which we contextualize within the movement’s communication ecosystem. We find J4A framing processes to be hybrid, evolving through a combination of online and offline interactions and strategic and discursive processes. J4A engaged in three types of hybrid framing processes: strategic, discursive, and frame transmission. Due largely to concerns about safety and surveillance, J4A made limited use of Twitter, instead using secure messenger applications and pre-established networks of trust. Using social network analysis, we analyzed the growth of the J4A network and diffusion of movement frames on Twitter. We find a paucity of interaction between activists on Twitter, and instead find a core network of local journalists, suggesting the shifting role of Twitter in grassroots movements.