Bring publics back into networked public relations research: A dual-projection approach for network ecology

This study provides a network perspective to segment social-mediated publics in digital activism based on social media users’ influence on the information dissemination process. We used social network analysis to segment publics based on their information sharing behaviors in the case of the Chinese #MeToo movement in 2018 on Sina Weibo. Besides, we conducted a content analysis to reveal the characteristics of each type of publics. We have identified three meaningful social-mediated publics in the Chinese #MeToo movement on Sina Weibo: (1) the provoking public, who plays an essential role in initiating the discussion; (2) the bridging public, which contributes to spreading the discussion to various groups of people; and (3) the powerful public, who has the advantages of the first two segments of publics and is the most powerful one in the formation and development of the online discussion. Three publics have different characteristics. The provoking public (e.g., media and internet celebrities) typically has many followers and is interested in various social issues. The bridging public has fewer followers (e.g., grassroots individuals) but tends to have a special interest in the issue and actively uses social media. The powerful public has a large number of followers, a particular interest in this issue, and is active on social media. This public segmentation provides a relatively new perspective to understand publics in digital activism in societies with strict social norms and media censorship. Limitations and future research are discussed.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Three Social-Mediated Publics in Digital Activism: A Network Perspective of Social Media Public Segmentation

Zhang

2022

“…But social media may have greatly reduced the cost of repeated activism actions and made it easier for spilloverers to stay in contact with each other. These emerging relational dynamics between and within politically motivated publics, named public–public relationships (Zhou, 2019) and manifested through and supported by their shared issue identities, can present new opportunities for movement organizing. It is likely that these movement spilloverers constitute a form of important resources that activist groups can identify, recruit, and mobilize in future social movements.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Spilloverers and their networks, although largely understudied in previous literature, could play considerable roles in reaching general publics, media, politicians, activist communities as well as foster network formation, and warrant continued research and theorization. By considering the implications of relationships between and within issue publics for the organizing of social-mediated movements, the study also advances our theoretical understanding of how public networks without organizations at the center can have unintended consequences for organizations (Yang & Taylor, 2015; Zhou, 2019). Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.…”

mentioning

confidence: 97%

The Longitudinal Dimension of Social-Mediated Movements: Hidden Brokerage and the Unsung Tales of Movement Spilloverers

Zhou

Yang

2021

Self Cite

This study traces the retweet networks among a group of movement spilloverers spanning across five social-mediated movements (i.e., People’s Climate March, Women’s March, #GrabYourWallet, March for Our Lives, and #StoptheBans) and examines the longitudinal inter-movement dynamics. Our analysis reveals that movement spillover is a widespread phenomenon existing in ideologically compatible movements across issue areas and lasted over 5 years. We also found that movement spilloverers functioned as relationship brokers both within their original movement networks and across movements. We identified four types of brokers based on their movement memberships and flows of information, and explored the unique characteristics of these brokers. We found that itinerants and representatives are exceptionally influential among the general public and media, whereas coordinators commend considerable influence among politicians. Representatives are most effective when influencing the activist community. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.

“…Publics in such networks play equal, if not more important, roles in the communication process. Recent research has recognized the power of publics, but few studies have examined publics’ networks in the process of organization–public engagement (Zhou, 2019). There is a need for studies that examine how social media facilitated public participation shapes policy.…”

Section: Organizational-centric Engagement To Network-centric Engagementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As scholars and practitioners examine organizations' engagement efforts, they often position organizations at the center of consideration (Dolan et al, 2019;Ihm, 2015;Hong & Yang, 2011). But, organization-public engagement on social media also creates public-public networks (Zhou, 2019). Ihm (2019) coined the concept of "autonomous public community" to refer to publics that initially connect with each other through their engagement with a focal organization and then go on to develop ties among themselves beyond simply responding to organizations' messages.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

From Organizational-Centric Engagement to Network-Centric Engagement: The Role of Autonomous Public Communities in a Mediated Public Policy Advocacy Network

Yang

Taylor

2021

In this study, we explore how a social movement organization ( Sunrise.org ) and its autonomous public community advocated for the Green New Deal on social media. An autonomous public community is a group of publics that initially connect with each other through their engagement with a focal organization. Then, they go on to develop ties among themselves that go beyond simply responding to organizations’ messages. Autonomous public communities are ubiquitous on social media. Our research identifies unique patterns of interactions in an autonomous public community and finds that the Tertius Iungens orientation brings the network together. We also find that while the focal organization is not centralized in an autonomous public community, it still significantly affects tie formation and discourse as the networks evolve. Our study reveals a nuanced understanding of networked organization–public engagement where network structure and discourse are co-created by the organizations and the communities that they engage.