The Revolution Might Not Be Televised (But It Will Be Lived Streamed)

• Published date: 01 July 2018
• DOI: 10.1177/2153368716676320
• Date: 01 July 2018
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

The Revolution Might Not

Be Televised (But It Will Be

Lived Streamed): Future

Directions for Research on

Police–Minority Relations

Sara M. Hockin

1

and Rod K. Brunson

2

Abstract

Fiery nationwide protests in response to a recent string of dubious police killings of

unarmed Black men have sparked a renewed social movement, drawing increased

attention to fragile police–minority relations and allegations of racial bias in the

criminal justice system. A wealth of research exists concerning African American

youths’ accounts of poor treatment at the hands of police. To a lesser extent, prior

scholarship reveals the importance of looking beyond citizens’ direct police experi-

ences to family, peer, and mainstream media accounts of negative police encounters.

Scholarly examinations of social media regarding how individuals make sense of their

own and others’ experiences with, and attitudes toward police are limited, however.

This is surprising given that social media has become especially important for youths

and represents a new mechanism for the American public to learn about unsettling

police behaviors. Moreover, social media represents a largely untapped, but poten-

tially rich data source for researchers and policy makers. Special consideration is given

to the role that the Black Lives Matter movement plays for obtaining improved

understandings of police–minority relations and informing criminal justice.

Keywords

social media, police–minority relations, youth, police legitimacy, racial discrimination

1

Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA

2

Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA

Corresponding Author:

Sara M. Hockin, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA.

Email: shockin1@student.gsu.edu

Race and Justice

2018, Vol. 8(3) 199-215

ªThe Author(s) 2016

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DOI: 10.1177/2153368716676320

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The fragile relationship between minority youth and the police has earned renewed

public attention following a wave of highly publicized and decidedly questionable

police-involved shootings of Black youth. On August 9, 2014, Officer Darren Wilson

shot and killed unarmed teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, prompting over

146,000 posts about the incident using the social media application Twitter; 5 days

later, there were over 3.6 million tweets (Hitlin & Vogt, 2014). Michael Brown’s

untimely death catalyzed a nationwide social movement centering on the role of

police as fair-minded guardians, eliciting fervent calls for immediate police reform,

and highlighting the relevance of social media as a driving force for serious public

discourse concerning police–minority relations.

When the general public perceives that laws are being applied in a discriminatory

manner, it questions whether police have every community’s best interests in mind.

This is especially the case in distressed, urban areas where, because of aggressive

policing tactics, youth might develop cynicism toward police and the broader criminal

justice system. Prior research has demonstrated that children form understandings of

their social worlds based not only on what they see, but also from what they learn from

those around them, including parents, teachers, peers, and the media (Brunson &

Weitzer, 2011; Fagan & Piquero, 2007). To citizens who are less likely to experience

frequent, direct police contact, social media, and the Black Lives Matter (BLM)

movement brings an awareness of alleged, widespread police wrongdoing that might

have otherwise gone unnoticed.

Because the BLM effort is relatively new and its goals evolving, there are many

opportunities for research examining the ways in which grassroots activists use social

media to draw attention to and construct narratives around what they consider ques-

tionable police patterns and practices. Academic research concerning whether and, if

so, how, social media helps shape citizens’ attitudes toward the police is sorely

deficient, however. This essay considers how researchers might take advantage of

technological innovations to extend scholarship on police legitimacy and police–

minority relations. First, we summarize the existing literature on young people of

color and the police. Next, we address how future studies might extend prior scho-

larship regarding police legitimacy and procedural justice. Finally, we highlight how

the BLM movement’s mastery of social media has the potential to generate novel

methodological approaches and research questions. A wide range of social media

campaigns exist that emphasize social and criminal justice reform. We focus,

however, on the intensifying, BLM political movement in particular because of its

prominence in social and traditional media.

Existing Research

Legitimacy and procedural justice feature prominently in the extant literature on

citizen attitudes toward police. Satisfaction with police and the belief that officers

deserve deference results from police actions that are perceived to be evenhanded.

Tyler and Wakslak (2004) identified three factors that comprise fair procedures:

quality of decision-making, quality of treatment, and trustworthiness. Mazerolle,

200 Race and Justice 8(3)