Citizens at the Gates

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xv

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Stephen R. Barnard

   Pages 1-12

3. Twitter: More than 140 Characters

   • Stephen R. Barnard

   Pages 13-31

4. Understanding the Gates: The Journalistic Field in a Time of Mediatization

   • Stephen R. Barnard

   Pages 33-60

5. “Tweet or Be Sacked”: Hybridity and Shifts in (Professional) Journalistic Practice

   • Stephen R. Barnard

   Pages 61-82

6. The Pros and Cons of Pro-Am Journalism: Breaking News During the #BostonMarathon Bombing and Beyond

   • Stephen R. Barnard

   Pages 83-100

7. Tweeting #Ferguson: Affective Publics, Boundary Maintenance, and Journo-Activism in a Mediatized Field

   • Stephen R. Barnard

   Pages 101-125

8. We Stand with #Nerdland: Gatewatching and Agenda-Building by the “People Formerly Known as the Audience”

   • Stephen R. Barnard

   Pages 127-145

9. The Spectacle of #TrumpsAmerica: Political Journalism, Networked Publics, and the Battle for Symbolic Power

   • Stephen R. Barnard

   Pages 147-175

10. Twitter and Beyond: Journalistic Practice, Platforms, and the Future of Media Power

    • Stephen R. Barnard

    Pages 177-195

11. Back Matter

    Pages 197-215

    PDF

Drawing insights from nearly a decade of mixed-method research, Stephen R. Barnard analyzes Twitter’s role in the transformation of American journalism. As the work of media professionals grows increasingly hybrid, Twitter has become an essential space where information is shared, reporting methods tested, and power contested. In addition to spelling opportunity for citizen media activism, the normalization of digital communication adds new channels of influence for traditional thought leaders, posing notable challenges for the future of journalism and democracy. In his analyses of Twitter practices around newsworthy events—including the Boston Marathon bombing, protests in Ferguson, Missouri, and the election of Donald Trump—Barnard brings together conceptual and theoretical lenses from multiple academic disciplines, bridging sociology, journalism, communication, media studies, science and technology studies, and political science. 

• activism
• social media
• public opinion
• gatekeeping processes
• media professionals
• digital media
• digital journalism
• digital activism
• digital ethnography
• social network analysis
• citizen journalists
• social change
• networked journalism
• political activism

“Citizens at the Gates makes a compelling case that Twitter is transforming and mixing American journalism and political activism in new ways. Drawing on his sophisticated command of Bourdieusian field theory, Stephen Barnard offers an original analysis of the complex interweaving of technological affordances and socially structured practices. This is an impressive book and an indispensable guide to making sense of the contemporary media landscape.” (Rodney Benson, Professor of Media, Culture, and Communication, New York University, USA)

“No one doubts journalism is changing profoundly, but how is its transformation related to broader shifts in the social world? Only an approach rooted in social theory can answer that question. Stephen Barnard’s exciting new book is one of the first to pursue it, offering a convincing account of how media sources such as Twitter are acquiring influence in journalistic practice and changing journalistic values. Essential reading for those curious about where journalism is heading.” (Nick Couldry, Professor of Media, Communications and Social Theory, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK)

• Department of Sociology, St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY, USA

  Stephen R. Barnard

Stephen R. Barnard is Assistant Professor of Sociology at St. Lawrence University, USA. 

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