Waves of Attention to Racial Injustice on Social Media: Extrajudicial Police Killings in the United States as Focusing Events

Annie Waldherr, Nicola Righetti, Ryan J. Gallagher, Kira Klinger, Daniela Stoltenberg, Sagar Kumar, Dominic Ridley, Brooke Foucault Welles, Department of Communication, University of Vienna, Department of Communication Sciences, Humanities and International Studies, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Network Science Institute, Northeastern University, Department of Communication, University of Münster, Institute for Media and Communication Studies, Freie Universität Berlin, Department of Communication Studies, Northeastern University

Social Science Computer Review

Published online on July 31, 2025

Abstract

Social Science Computer Review, Ahead of Print.
The deaths of Black victims of police brutality, such as George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland, and Philando Castile, have become focusing events and symbols for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, catalyzing wide-spread public attention to racial ...