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Cited by 148Social Media and PoliticsRace, History, and American SocietySocial Capital and Networks

Public Discourse, Community Concerns, and Civic Engagement: Exploring Black Social Networking Traditions on BlackPlanet.com

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Byrne, Dara N.·2007·Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication
DOI 10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00398.x
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Abstract

This study explores community life on a black social network site, BlackPlanet, to see whether and how participants engage in public discussions; if these discussions center on issues considered to be critical to the black community; and if so, the extent to which participants’ online networks are used to foster some level of civic engagement. Participation analysis, content analysis, and a thematic analysis were used to analyze public discussions on the site’s community forums. The findings show that participants are deeply committed to ongoing discussions about black community issues. However, none of these discussions moved beyond a discursive level of civic engagement, suggesting that the potential for mobilization through social networking online has not yet been realized, despite the traditional orientation to community service among blacks in America.

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  • BlackPlanet.com's sixteen million users serve as evidence that sites promoting Black cultural interactivity can become enormously popular.

    “As Byrne (2007) pointed out, BlackPlanet .com's sixteen million users serve as evidence that sites promoting Black cultural interactivity can become enormously popular.”

    From Distributed Blackness: African American Cybercultures (2020) · cites this paper as Byrne (2007)

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Research works printed but not linked: 33

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Authors
Byrne, D. N.
Affiliations
John Jay College of Criminal Justice (US)
Corresponding author
Byrne, Dara N.
Venue
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2007-10
Volume
13
Issue
1
Pages
319-340
ISSN
1083-6101 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00398.x
OpenAlex
W2116737116
Cited by
148
References
3
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 10
FWCI
39.12
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
doi.wiley.com/10.1002/tdm_license_1.1 (tdm, 2892 d)
Locations
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication (publishedVersion)
Funders
Columbus State University
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Communication › Social Media and Politics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Race, History, and American Society
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social Capital and Networks
Keywords
citizen participation, online community forums, public discourse, online mobilization

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