Date of Award
5-12-2024
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Media Studies
Advisor(s)
Anne Osborne
Keywords
anti-hegemony;automobile;content creator;counternarrative;public opinion;social media platforms
Subject Categories
Communication | Mass Communication | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Abstract
The purpose of this research paper is to discover the content strategies employed by social media content creators living in North America who try to use their platforms and voices to build a popular counternarrative against the systemic framework of automobile supremacy. Automobile supremacy refers to the systemic prioritization of automobiles as the predominant mode of transportation through intentional design that justifies compulsory consumption while downplaying dangerous consequences. To understand content creator strategies, this study interviewed 25 adult social media content creators who live in North America who regularly share anti-automobile supremacy content and asked them 15 semi-structured questions to answer three research questions surrounding their perception of automobiles, their utilization of social media in challenging automobile supremacy, as well as their perception of the role social media plays in their effort. The participants indicate automobile supremacy to be a serious issue that requires the need to reframe the perception of automobiles to build a successful counternarrative. On social media, they actively frame collective stories that elevate individual voices to highlight the consequences and alternative transportation options. This study also provides an understanding towards how these creators evaluate the role of social media in their agenda building process; they point out that social media can act as a double-edged sword, and the negative effects of social media usage should not be ignored.
Access
Open Access
Recommended Citation
Huang, Allen, "ANTI-AUTOMOBILE SUPREMACY: SOCIAL MEDIA NARRATIVES AND THE POPULAR RESISTANCE AGAINST CAR-CENTRIC URBAN LANDSCAPES" (2024). Theses - ALL. 863.
https://surface.syr.edu/thesis/863
