COM CONTRIBUTES
Nonverbal Communication
Organizational Communication
Public Relations
Rhetoric of the Schoolhouse
Schoolhouse Service Stand
Social Media

What if Autherine Lucy had Twitter?

Taylor Price, Searcy Sledge, and Mike Fordham present their reseach on social media and activism
Mike Fordham, Searcy Sledge, and Taylor Price explored the role of social media on activism today, and speculated about the events of 1956 and 1963 if tools like Twitter or Facebook had existed... How would supporters or opponents of Lucy use social media to organize rallies or marches? What if hashtags like #LetLucyStay or #LucyLove were circulating on the weekend before mob violence broke out?

International Studies Today and Social Media Use

Li conducted a survey of current international students at UA about their social media usage. The number of international students has skyrocketed in recent years, from 733 in 2007 up to 11,156 in 2011. That is an increase of over 1000%!!  Li surveyed faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students, and found that:
  • International faculty are less engaged with social media, relying more on email or letters
  • International graduate students use social media networks more, utilizing them to keep in touch with family overseas and up to date on news in their native countries. These users also turned to social media to learn about job opportunities and employment networking.
  • Undergraduate students from outside the U.S. tend to use social media the most. They spend the most time online, and prefer to build relationships through this form of interaction. In addition, international undergraduates use social media to locate student groups here on campus or in the Tuscaloosa area.