Rebecca LeFebvre

Grievance-based social movement mobilization in the #Ferguson Twitter storm

Existing literature on collective action suggests that social protest activity is often driven by structural out-group grievances. This article explores how a framework of grievance-based social movement participation applies to the digital media realm and how social media are reshaping the protest landscape. Our research looks specifically at the case of the #Ferguson Twitter storm that occurred in November 2014. During a 3-week period, over 6 million tweets were sent with the indicator #Ferguson. We examine the statistics and content of those tweets to show that the Ferguson Twitter storm was driven to an enormous volume by four key mobilizers. Tweet content included structural out-group grievances that reflect established expectations about drivers of social movements and protests. In contrast to the emphasis on violence by traditional mass media, online social movement participants emphasized peace, especially after the conflict escalated and rioting in the streets began.

The human element in cyber security: a study on student motivation to act

The internet was originally designed as an open system for trustworthy users, yet with its rapid growth rate, it has become vulnerable to cyber crime. Much research exists on promoting cyber security awareness among employees of businesses, but less exists on cyber security awareness in the general population. This paper focuses on the general student population at Kennesaw State University (KSU), examining how they are motivated to protect themselves from the threat of cyber crime. The studys framework draws on Rogers Protection Motivation Theory, making use of the five motivational factors: risk severity, vulnerability, self-efficacy, response efficacy, and response cost. Research methods used include observation of on-campus classes, interviews with instructors, and surveys of a random sampling of students. The results showed that feelings of vulnerability were significant indicators of motivation to take precautions when using social networks. The response cost, measured in time and money required to respond to social networking threats as well as computer virus threats, was a significant negative indicator of motivation for action.

Did 9/11 change the New York state of mind? Lessons from NYC's leisure and hospitality labour market

The authors show that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 caused a permanent structural break in NYCs leisure and hospitality labour market. This structural break is visible from both an interrupted time-series perspective and a comparison with NYCs overall economic development. Assuming that the labour market dynamics of the leisure and hospitality industry mirror a citys feel in the hedonism–asceticism spectrum, the authors conclude that the 9/11 terrorist attacks have permanently shifted ‘New Yorks state of mind’ from hedonism towards asceticism. These results suggest that greater attention must be given to the formulation of effective industry marketing strategies in response to the legacy of urban terrorism.