The Problem With Protests: Emotional Effects of Race-Related News Media

Abstract

It is well documented that news media’s coverage of social unrest is sensationalized; however, our knowledge is limited in understanding how the intersection of race with depictions of social unrest influences emotional responses to this content. By applying assumptions from the protest paradigm and intergroup emotions theory, the current set of studies experimentally examines this relationship. Results indicate that racialized news images of dramatized social unrest provoke heightened, complex group-based affective responses that vary based on aspects of psychological group identification among audiences. These outcomes suggest that journalistic practices, whether or not intentionally, may exacerbate race relations regarding social change.

Black Audiences’ Identity-Focused Social Media Use, Group Vitality, and Consideration of Collective Action

“…The creation of social media applications and the support of social media platforms to position diverse and inclusive content will provide advantages for Black audiences. Equally, the opportunity to examine outcomes that position Black individuals to seek out justice, increase their well-being, and thrive within a society that often vilifies the group warrants continued exploration (Stamps & Mastro, 2020).…”

“…Mass media research that addresses Black audiences’ media usage and its relationship with favorable outcomes has garnered attention within communication scholarship (Davis & Tounsel, 2021). However, a large portion of race-focused media effects literature concentrates on non-Black audiences and their judgment toward communities of color, including Black people (Stamps & Mastro, 2020) or addresses the adverse outcomes experienced by Black individuals (Abrams & Giles, 2007; Banjo, 2013). To address the absence of mass communication literature that focuses on Black communities and their experience with media, a convenient sample of 295 Black adults in the United States was surveyed to explore the relationship between audiences’ identity-focused social media use (i.e., viewing, posting, and sharing social media content related to the group’s identity), perceptions of group vitality, and consideration of participation in collective action.…”

Adolescent civic engagement: Lessons from Black Lives Matter

“…Civic engagement during adolescence can provide youth with an outlet for identity exploration, promote socioemotional competency, and contribute to sustained civic engagement across the lifespan, as well as strengthen feelings of agency, healing, and unity among traumatized communities ( 6 , 7 ). At the same time, engagement may increase adolescents’ vulnerability to harm and negative emotions ( 6 , 8 , 9 ). The majority of quantitative studies on engagement with BLM demonstrations include parent reports about their children or adults’ (18+ years old) accounts of their own experiences.…”

“…We asked about engagement mode (media, social media, in-person, knowing others who attend demonstrations) as research demonstrates that individuals, particularly adolescents, vary in the ways they civically engage and that mode can impact individuals differently ( 13 , 14 ). We asked about feelings experienced as a result of engagement (e.g., anger, fear, inspiration, hope) in light of work showing that experiences generally, and specifically within civic engagement contexts, may differentially impact emotions within valence ( 9 , 15 ) (see SI Appendix for survey questions). We present descriptive analyses and examine potential differences in engagement and experiences between Black adolescents and adolescents from other racial/ethnic groups.…”

“Stick to Sports”? First Amendment Values and Limitations to Student-Athlete Expression

“…In spite of the fact that student-athlete protests in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement have become commonplace nationwide, large segments of the public continue to view the movement and related symbolic acts of protest as disrespect toward the U.S. flag, military, police, or the country itself (Stratmoen et al, 2019). Dramatized coverage of protests is often favored over the articulation of the issues or motivations behind the dissent and, as Stamps and Mastro (2020) point out, news media’s tendency to overemphasize conflict when covering political protests serve to delegitimize dissenters and provoke group-based emotional responses. Student-athletes however, occupy a unique and very public position on college campuses: Their symbolic acts of protest on the field or through boycotts are likely to garner extensive media attention and, because they tend to involve nonviolent dissent, their motivations behind such acts are more likely to be publicized.…”