How Affect Rhetoric and a Changing Digital Landscape Shape Youth Digital Social Movements of the Twenty-First Century
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University of North Dakota UND Scholarly Commons Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Senior Projects January 2020 How Affect Rhetoric And A Changing Digital Landscape Shape Youth Digital Social Movements Of The Twenty-First Century Amanda Frances Pasierb Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.und.edu/theses Recommended Citation Pasierb, Amanda Frances, "How Affect Rhetoric And A Changing Digital Landscape Shape Youth Digital Social Movements Of The Twenty-First Century" (2020). Theses and Dissertations. 3385. https://commons.und.edu/theses/3385 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, and Senior Projects at UND Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UND Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. HOW AFFECT RHETORIC AND A CHANGING DIGITAL LANDSCAPE SHAPE YOUTH DIGITAL SOCIAL MOVEMENTS OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY by Amanda Frances Pasierb Bachelor of Arts, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2014 Master of Arts, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2016 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of North Dakota in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Grand Forks, North Dakota December 2020 This dissertation, submitted by Amanda Frances Pasierb in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the University of North Dakota, has been read by the Faculty Advisory Committee under whom the work has been done and is hereby approved. Bradley Serber_________________________ Name of Chairperson Timothy Pasch__________________________ Name of Committee Member Pat Queen Jordheim______________________ Name of Committee Member Kim Donehower-Weinstein _______________ Name of Committee Member This dissertation is being submitted by the appointed advisory committee as having met all the requirements of the School of Graduate Studies at the University of North Dakota and is hereby approved. Chris Nelson_______________________ Dean of the School of Graduate Studies 12/1/2020_________________________ Date ii PERMISSION Title How Affect Rhetoric and a Changing Digital Landscape Shape Youth Digital Social Movements of the Twenty-First Century Department Communication Degree Doctor of Philosophy In presenting this dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a graduate degree from the University of North Dakota, I agree that the library of this University shall make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for extensive copying for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor who supervised my dissertation work or, in his absence, by the Chairperson of the department or the dean of the School of Graduate Studies. It is understood that any copying or publication or other use of this dissertation or part thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of North Dakota in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my dissertation. Amanda Frances Pasierb Date 11/30/20 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Abstract Chapter 1: Introduction……………………………………………………………1 Studying Youth Digital Social Movements in the Twenty-First Century...3 Defining Key Terms………………………………………………………8 Defining Youth: A Complex Task for a Complex Group………..8 Digital Technologies in the Twenty-First Century Social Movements……………………………………………………….12 What Makes a Social Movement a Social Movement…………...16 What is “Activism” ……………………………………………...19 How Affect Shapes Youth Digital Social Movements…………..22 Case Backgrounds………………………………………………………..25 Invisible Children; Uganda………………………………………25 Bring Back Our Girls; Nigeria…………………………………..27 Never Again; United States of America…………………………30 Method: Digital Rhetorical Criticism……………………………………32 Research Questions………………………………………………………34 Chapter 2: Invisible Children: Early Digital Era Youth Social Activism………..36 The Role of Youth throughout the Invisible Children Movement……….38 iv Youth-affected……………………………………………...........38 Youth-led………………………………………………………...39 Youth-involved………………………………………………..…40 Youth and Affect…………………………………………………43 The Most Viral Video of the Time: How Invisible Children Utilized the Digital Landscape………………………………………………………..45 A Ugandan Crisis, an American Movement……………………..49 Adapting the Digital Plan: Utilizing Digital Technologies Available to Ugandans……………………...……………………50 Digital Activism: Four Styles of Internet Engagement…..………………53 Internet Engagement: Brochureware…………………………….53 Internet Engagement: E-mobilization……………………………54 Internet Engagement: Online Organizing……………………..…55 Internet Engagement: Online Participation………………………56 Digital Concerns: Echo Chambers and Censorship……………...57 Invisible Children as a Social Movement………………………………..62 Activism through the Years……………………………………………...66 The Boundary between Traditional and Non-Traditional Activism…………………………………………………………67 Digital Activism: The Shift from Offline to Online……………………..70 Activism versus Slacktivism……………………………………………..71 v Sharing: The First Step of the Ladder……………………………73 Inserting Oneself into the Story: A Step Closer to Engagement...74 Making the Story their Own: The Final Step of Engagement…...75 Conclusion……………………………………………………………….76 Chapter 3: Bring Back Our Girls: Developing Digital Era Youth Social Movement Activism……………………………………………………………..80 The Role of Youth Throughout the Bring Back Our Girls Movement…..82 Youth-affected………………………………………………...…82 Youth-led: An Outside Voice……………………………………83 Youth-involved: Bringing Young People Together through Social Media…………………………………………………………….85 Youth and Affect: Who are the “Girls” in Bring Back Our Girls........................………………………………………………86 Hashtag Heard ‘Round the World………………………………………..88 Non-digital Natives in a Digital World…………………………..88 Time: A Double-Edged Sword for the Bring Back Our Girls Movement………………………………………………………..90 Location, Location, Location: The Benefits and Struggles of the Location of the Bring Back Our Girls Movement……………….92 Adapt or Disappear………………………………………………97 Internet Engagement: Brochureware…………………………….98 vi Internet Engagement: E-Mobilization……………………………99 Internet Engagement: Online Participation………………………99 Digital Limitations: Some Battles Proving Harder than Others...........................................................................................101 Bring Back Our Girls as a Social Movement…………………………...106 Bring Back Our Girls Activism………………………………………...118 Lost in the Aftermath of a Flash Flood of Activism: Why Bring Back Our Girls Seemed to Disappear After their Massive Hashtag Campaign…...121 Activism, Slacktivism, Both, or Neither?................................................123 Sharing: The First Step Up the Ladder…………………………124 Inserting Oneself into the Story: A Second Step Up the Ladder…………………………………………………………..125 Making the Story their Own: Where Bring Back Our Girls Fell Short…………………………………………………………….126 Conclusion…………………………………………………………...…128 Chapter 4: Parkland: Contemporary Digital Era Youth Social Movement Activism………………………………………………………………………...130 The Youth Say Never Again……………………………………………131 Youth-affected………………………………………………….131 Youth-led………………………………………………………132 Youth-involved…………………………………………………133 vii “We’re children”: The Rhetorical Impact of Youth on the Never Again Movement………………………………………………136 #Digital: How the Never Again Movement Incorporated Digital Aspects……………………………………………………………..…...139 The Right People at the Right Time: How Age and Time Benefitted Never Again Movement Leaders…………………...139 Benefits of Location: How being U.S. Based and Focused Benefited the Never Again Movement…………………............141 Digital Activism: The Four Styles of Internet Engagement……………143 Internet Engagement: Brochureware…………………...………143 Internet Engagement: E-mobilization…………………..............144 Internet Engagement: Online Organizing…………………........144 Internet Engagement: Online Participation…………………......145 A Divisive Subject Matter, A Concern for Echo Chambers……146 Land of the Free, Home of the Shadowbanning: Issues of Censorship in the United States…………………...…………....146 Never Again as a Social Movement…………………...………………..149 Never Again and Activism…………………...…………………...…….153 Traditional and Non-Traditional Activism: A Connected Approach.. …………………...………………………..………..153 Activism or Slacktivism…………………...…………….……...………164 viii Sharing: Step One of the Ladder………………….....................165 Inserting Oneself into the Story: Step Two………………….....166 Making the Story their Own: the Final Step…………………...168 Conclusion…………………...…………………...………………….....169 Chapter 5: Conclusion…………………...…………………...…………………172 Cross-Case Analyses………………...…………………...……...……..172 Youth…………………...…………………...……...……...…...172 Digital………………...…………………………...……......…..180 Evolution of Youth Digital Social Movement Activism……………….182 References…………………...…………………...…………………...………..187 ix ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express my sincere appreciate to the members of my advisory Committee for their guidance and support during my time in the doctoral program at the University of North Dakota. Specifically, I could not have done this without the support and guidance of my advisor, Brad Serber, who always told me, echoing the words of his advisor, Rosa Eberly, to “find something about which you can’t help but write.” To my family and friends who