Kavada, A. 2024. Social Movements and the Self-mediation of Vulnerability on Digital Media . in: Hill, A. and Lunt, P. (ed.) The Routledge Companion to Media Audiences Routledge.
| Chapter title | Social Movements and the Self-mediation of Vulnerability on Digital Media |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kavada, A. |
| Editors | Hill, A. and Lunt, P. |
| Abstract | Digital media have transformed the self-mediation of vulnerability. For social movements, vulnerability relates to the grievances they put forth and to the act of protest itself, which may expose participants to repression and harm. This chapter discusses how the technical capacities of digital media in combination with the activists’ editorial practices affect the modalities, intensity, and consequences of audience engagement with such content. The analysis draws on fieldwork on the movements of the squares, such as Nuit Debout and the Occupy movement, as well as published research on Black Lives Matter. Digital media facilitate new genres in the self-mediation of vulnerability, including digital participatory storytelling and the live broadcasting of witness videos from the streets. Rawness, personalisation, liveness, and the rhythm of publishing play a crucial role in the modalities and intensity of audience engagement. Yet, to effectively mobilise audiences in the long term, social movements should pay attention to the combinations and sequencing of emotions elicited by this content. The picture that emerges is complex as the self-mediation of vulnerability can be both empowering and disempowering for activists. Negotiating this “paradox of vulnerability” is thus a crucial task for social movements in the digital era. |
| Book title | The Routledge Companion to Media Audiences |
| Year | 2024 |
| Publisher | Routledge |
| Publication dates | |
| Published | 27 Sep 2024 |
| ISBN | 9781032214665 |
| 9781003268543 | |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003268543-33 |
| File | File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |