Mass Shootings: A Social Media Analysis

294 days in the past year have had one specific theme in common. Each of them has been the setting for a mass shooting, on campuses or in public places that resulted in the injury or death of multiple bystanders. Through social media, the most gruesome details are often the only information to ever reach the public, causing issues such as gun-control policy and tighter security in public places to rise to the top of the list on political agendas. This has forced mass shootings to become the backdrop for constant ideological media battles. In addition, the consideration of other issues found in shootings, such as mental and social disorders, become smothered by the debate of gun control and similar measures. I propose that the reason for this

Concerning theories of claims-making, “the concept of ‘a frame’ or news framing lies in the dynamic process of communication which involves frame building and frame setting” (Wondemehagen 697). This setting and adjustment of the ‘frame’ is crucial to how a news event is interpreted. Traditionally, the formation of claims has been classified under four stages. The claim must be considered “offensive on some condition…some official agency responds to the claims…in stage three, the claims and demands remerge…in stage four, alternative counter-institutions are established” (Wondemehagen 698). This theory also mandates that for any claim to gain power and credence, the information used must be from those “in powerful and authoritative positions” who are able to correctly identify and diagnose problems (Wondemehagen 702). Social media, specifically Twitter, allows almost anyone to make unrestricted temporal claims through 140 character posts. As described in the Twitter’s FAQ, “all you need to use Twitter is an internet connection or a mobile phone” (Twitter Support). Either of these requirements can easily be met in today’s era, creating a unique social network for both authoritative figures and the common man. This mingling of orders, once separated by knowledge and experience on current events, has led to the creation of new claims that are socially rather than objectively based, specifically with gun control in the aftermath of school shootings. This aspect combined with the limited quantity of information that can be transmitted through an individual tweet has led to the politicizing that surrounds mass shootings on social media. The dichotomy between the scope of information in tweets and their relevance in the sphere of