Journalism in the Age of Social Media: The Case of the 'In Memorial: Virginia Tech' Facebook Group

When a major news event unfolds in today's media environment, individuals utilize social media to discuss unfolding events. The first such instance was on April 16, 2007, when two shootings occurred on the campus of Virginia Tech. Users, especially college and university students, employed social media to discuss the shootings and their aftermath. One of the largest and most active groups at the time was the "In Memorial: Virginia Tech" Facebook group, which amassed 185 postings in its first 36 hours and still contains more than 3,000 members. What are the implications of the "In Memorial: Virginia Tech" Facebook group for journalism and mass communication?;This dissertation utilizes the case study research strategy (Stake, 1995; Yin, 2003) and employs content analysis (Babbie, 2010) to answer that research question. The particulars of this case open three lines of inquiry (1) studying the social media cycle in the group (2) studying the expression of public memory in the group and (3) studying the expression of emotion---in both text and images---in the group. These lines of inquiry strongly suggest that the group reflects the uses and gratifications theoretical framework in mass communication research, which "assumes that people use media purposively, selectively and actively to satisfy their needs and wants" (Hanson et. al, 2010, p. 589). This case has specific potential to shed needed light on why individuals "switch" between traditional and social media during unfolding news events (Quan-Haase & Young, 2010).;The data and analysis reveal that this case demonstrates Facebook as a platform for expression across a great distance during a time of crisis. Individuals have sought out the group to make sense of, and bring meaning to, the lives and deaths of the victims. Specifically, (1) The social media cycle strongly suggests an emphasis on the victims---especially on the death toll during day one and on the "We are Hokies" convocation speech on day two (2) The expressions of public memory strongly suggest users' further emphasis on remembering the victims and asserting their legacy and (3) the emotional expressions even further suggest users' shift from hurting for the victims on day one to beginning to heal together in solidarity with members of the campus community on day two. Taken together, the group employs the reaction to the news cycle, expressions of public memory and emotional expressions to recast the event from a tragedy to an opportunity for unity among college and university students around the country and the world.;This case particularly suggests three implications for journalism and mass communication: (1) Journalism has become a "conversation" (Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010) between traditional media and social media and journalism is only the catalyst for an extended conversation in the social media environment (2) Those individuals who are not actively represented in traditional media, individuals without a direct, geographic connection to the events, will employ social media to give voice to their needs and wants and (3) Individuals are specifically employing social media to make forms of expression---in this case, reaction to the news cycle, expressions of public memory and expressions of emotion---more ubiquitous and visible than in the past within a mass communication context.