10.4225/03/5b0f48f567d81 KARIN ZHU KARIN ZHU The Role of Emotions in Online Community Maintenance Monash University 2018 affect theory critical race theory feminism social media Twitter community social networking sites Media Studies 2018-05-31 00:59:29 Thesis https://bridges.monash.edu/articles/thesis/The_Role_of_Emotions_in_Online_Community_Maintenance/6394412 Social media is increasingly an essential part of community building. This thesis seeks to understand how the online world mediates marginalized community identity. The examples examined are the respective communities around the Twitter hashtag movements #NotYourAsianSidekick, #CancelColbert, and #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen. A key focus is the maintenance and patrolling of community boundaries in online spaces. However, this carries its own dangers, such as when community members are excluded because they do not fit a community’s ideals. By comparing and contrasting the events surrounding the aforementioned hashtag movements, I hope to elucidate what coming together as a community in an online space entails.