Se Ve, Se Siente: Transmedia mobilization in the Los Angeles immigrant rights movement

Methods

Communication for Social Change

Interviews

Limitations

Site

Case

Immigrant rights movement

Context

The dimensions of the media system which enable or constrain social movement actors as they seek to circulate symbols and narratives.

A process whereby a social movement narrative is spread systematically across multiple media platforms, creating a distributed and participatory social movement ‘world,’ with multiple entry points for organizing, for the purpose of strengthening movement identity and outcomes.

The incorporation of digital media tools, skills, and practices into the process of reflection and action upon the world in order to transform it

Formal | Informal | Peer to peer

Computer labs | Universities

Libraries | Schools | Homes

Resources | Strange new tools

Generational divide | Moral panic | Vision

Movement Structure

Horizontalists | The norms of the tequio | Anarchogeeks | Volunteers & younger staff

Funders | Professionalization | Resource competition | Taking credit | Capacity building | Top-down Tweets | Brand identity | Message control | Fear of haters

Conclusions

Under what conditions do social movements effectively use networked communication technologies to strengthen movement identity, win political and economic victories, and transform consciousness?

Knowledge gaps

Implications for social movements

Research Question

Se Ve, Se Siente:Transmedia Mobilization in the Los Angeles Immigrant Rights Movement

Digital inequality

Los Angeles

Low-wage workforce in L.A., 2008

Immigrant labor | Movement history | New organizing models

Broadband at home by family income

Broadband at home by race

*1,815 of approx. 750,000

Source: Milkman et. al., 2010

% Hispanics Online, by Language Proficiency and Nativity

Californians with broadband at home, 2009

New organizing models

Unit of analysis

Social movement formation

Source: PPIC, 2009

Source: Pew Hispanic, 2007

The set of social movement actors that takes part in a specific shared process of collective action.

Source: NTIA, 2010

Standpoint | Language | Generalizeability

Workshops

Movement Media

Teen content creators

Composite SES Index vs. Composite Technology Index

Radio Tijeras

VozMob

Source: Pew, 2006

Source: Modarres and Pitkin, 2006

Praxis of digital media literacy: DREAM Act students

Praxis of digital media literacy:

the MIWON network

Forms of learning, key sites, and barriers

Key argument from research findings

Quantitative measures | Comparative analysis | Scale of MOS | Dangers

Social movement formations are most likely to be successful when they take advantage of transformations in the media opportunity structure to develop practices of transmedia mobilization, engage in a praxis of digital media literacy, and shift their communicative role from top-down content creator to horizontal aggregation, curation, remix, and circulation of media produced by the movement's social base.

Analyze the media opportunity structure | Create a transmedia mobilization strategy | Develop a praxis of digital media literacy | Encourage horizontal movement structures

Praxis of Digital Media Literacy

Implications for social movement theory

Vertical Logics

The continued importance of radio

Sensenbrenner 2006

Movement structure: The Fast for Our Future

Lack of access to mainstream media | Increasing access to 'ethnic' media

Continued importance of radio | Growth of social media | Mobile media |

Real-time tactical communication

Social Movement Outcomes

Composition of the media opportunity structure

for the immigrant rights movement in LA

Media Opportunity Structure

Growth of social media | Access to mobile media

Real-time social movement media practices

transformation of consciousness

stronger movement identity

Horizontal Logics

political and economic victories

Macarthur Park 2007

Transmedia Mobilization

Building movement identity: make media, make trouble

Transmedia mobilization practices

Movement identification | Cross platform production | Transmedia mobilization hubs | Media bridging work | Shift to aggregation, curation, remix, and circulation

Transmedia mobilization: Walkout!

Broadcast and social media combined: The Basta Dobbs campaign

Transmedia mobilization: APPO-LA