Date of Award

4-2024

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Communication

First Advisor

Joseph M. Kayany, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Sue Ellen Christian, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Lynete Lusike Mukhongo, Ph.D.

Keywords

Activism, agenda-setting, media engagement, social change, social media journalism, twitter

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

Journalism has evolved over the years, embracing the changes that come with technological advancement. Traditional journalism has converged with digital media to provide easier and accessible ways of news production and distribution. Twitter (now X) has become a major medium for advocacy in recent years, with people trending hashtags to get the needed attention for social change, notable among them being #BlackLivesMatter, #EndSARS in Nigeria and more recently, a hashtag to reverse mandatory wearing of hijab by women in Iran. Several studies have interrogated the impacts of social media on journalism, but less has been studied on specific mediums and how they impact some of the traditional journalistic roles of addressing social issues. This study specifically adopted a user approach in identifying the roles of news organizations and journalists on X and how those roles influence social change initiatives utilizing the agenda-setting model. A correlational analysis conducted showed that there is a significant positive relationship between user engagement with news organization tweets and a positive attitude toward activism exemplified by participants’ own involvement in activism or their perceptions of positive outcomes. Implications are discussed.

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