Most automobile verse motorcycle accidents typically do not make national or international news- especially when they occur in rural settings and have little impact beyond the individuals and community involved. However, in the case of an accident involving a Utah State University student and professor in September 2011 the response was anything but typical. Seconds after the accident occurred a professional videographer captured the response of bystanders as they lifted a burning car off of the trapped motorcyclist. This video quickly traveled from local news outlets to national news organizations such as CNN, New York Times, LA Times, Huffington Post, and the Canadian Broadcasting Company.
The official news coverage tended to focus on the impact of the accident and the actions of the bystanders. The victim of the accident was covered extensively in the press, as were those who helped to lift the car of the victim. While the news coverage presented the situation, online discussion forums allowed individuals to comment on their perceived beliefs about the story and their opinions of those involved in the accident.
In this paper the researcher will use quantitative methods to explore these comments to look for evidence of social norming behavior, the application of grand societal narratives, as well as the usage of positioning theory to understand the construction of arguments being presented in the online forum. In a cursory examination of the comments, most of the comments are critical of both the driver of the car and first responders. This initial evaluation of the data show it is ripe for additional critical evaluation.
questions from the class:
ReplyDeletecan you connect this to a larger public trend?
interest in the story-building aspect of this project. collective story-building.
will your audience understand what "grand societal narratives" are?
in an abstract, you might want to explain your methodology briefly, especially when you mention quantitative methodology?