Back to Search Start Over

The difficulties in spreading housing rights discourse in the face of ‘right now’ pragmatism on Twitter.

Authors :
Pinat, Ezequiel Ramon
Source :
Communication & Society. 2022, Vol. 35 Issue 2, p299-311. 26p.
Publication Year :
2022

Abstract

Social movements work in various overlapping dynamics: in the short term, trying to mobilize the largest number of sympathizers in their actions and in the long term, in a battle to change meanings and cognitive frameworks in a society. This article investigates how the Platform for Those Affected by Mortgages (PAH) uses Twitter in the two spheres above mentioned. The literature referring to collective mobilization explains activism in two complementary logics. A first one, rational, where participants only think about a concrete benefit, and a second, focusing on challenging established beliefs. As complex societies, the media and, more recently, social networks have gained in importance as a space where the legitimacy of these claims are discussed. In this analysis, frame theory has been applied to tweets referring to evictions published at the official account @LA_PAH. Twitter, unlike other social networks, allows quick mobilization to gather activists and stop evictions, a valuable and positive asset. However, it ends up giving a limited image, focused on avoiding evictions, instead of a message to establish housing access as a good that must be guaranteed, outside the market. The extreme cases, those about families including children and elderly, predominate in the posts. This visibility certainly generates empathy but leads to the false feeling that only the most vulnerable citizens are affected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
Multiple languages
ISSN :
23867876
Volume :
35
Issue :
2
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
Communication & Society
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
156116823
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.15581/003.35.2.299-311