Framing of Immigrants and Crime: A Comparative Analysis of Liberal and Conservative Discourse on Reddit

Date of Award

4-2025

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Sociology

First Advisor

Barry Goetz, PhD.

Second Advisor

David J. Hartmann, PhD.

Third Advisor

Zoann Snyder, PhD.

Keywords

Crime, framing, immigrants, media logic, political ideology, reddit

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Abstract Only

Restricted to Campus until

4-1-2027

Abstract

Immigration remains a deeply polarizing issue in the United States, often shaped by ideological narratives that influence public discourse, political identity, and policymaking. With the growing dominance of social media platforms, traditional forms of mass-mediated communication are being transformed by participatory, user-driven environments like Reddit, where individuals do not merely consume content but actively construct meaning. Grounded in Altheide’s theory of media logic, this study examines how discussions on immigrants and crime are framed within two ideologically opposed Reddit communities, r/Conservative and r/Liberal during the 2024 U.S. presidential election year.

Using a hybrid content analysis approach, findings reveal that conservative users primarily adopt Crime Threat, National Security, and Economic Burden frames, while also showing occasional introspection through Human Rights and Social Justice narratives. Racialization appeared in coded forms such as nationalism and intra-ethnic stereotyping. Liberal users, in contrast, largely avoided crime-related discussions, focusing instead on humanitarian concerns, economic contributions, and the broader impacts of deportation policies.

These framing asymmetries reflect broader ideological divides in how immigration is perceived and debated. More importantly, the study shows how Reddit’s media logic thus decentralized, user-driven, and community-regulated, facilitates selective framing and issue-silence in ways distinct from traditional media. This research contributes to the sociological understanding of digital media as a new institution of meaning-making.

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