Kissing in the Carnage: An Examination of Framing on Twitter During the Vancouver Riots

Abstract

This study examines the frames found on Twitter during the Vancouver riots on June 15, 2011. A textual analysis was employed, and resulted in the identification of 5 frames: fandom, riot propagation, global perspectives, shame on Vancouver, and real fans vs. idiots. The identification of these frames illustrated Twitter's role as a source of news and information, and also an outlet for shaping public opinion and cultural perception. Twitter provided the opportunity to counter public perceptions of Canadian hockey fans and the rioters through displays of dissociation, embarrassment, remorse, and comparisons to substantial global events of political unrest.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lauren M. Burch

Lauren M. Burch (Ph.D., Indiana University) is a visiting assistant professor of Management at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus. Her research interests include new media, framing, sport communication, and marketing.

Evan L. Frederick

Evan L. Frederick (Ph.D., Indiana University) is currently an assistant professor of Sport Administration at the University of New Mexico. His research interests include fan-athlete interaction on social media platforms as well as organizational communication through social media.

Ann Pegoraro

Ann Pegoraro (Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln) is an associate professor in the School of Sports Administration at Laurentian University, in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Her research primarily focuses on the intersection of sport and new media.