Viral Viability: Student Campaigns and Engagement through Social Media

What can viral student movements teach administrators and faculty about online engagement and civic participation? This poster will present results from a discourse analysis of grassroots student activism on social media. Findings suggest that creating an open environment through emerging multimodal technology nurtures creative interactions and promotes dialogue. Based on these findings, recommendations for fostering online expression that generates offline results will be provided.

OUTCOMES: Learn about the risks and rewards of fostering public discourse without censorship on the Internet * Learn which methods of online communication provoke the highest rates of engagement * Understand the differences between public interactions with corporate/brand channels and educational outlets * Be able to create curricula and learning environments that reflect relevant and contemporary Internet culture