Trolling Free Speech Rallies: Social Media Practices and the (Un)Democratic Spectacle of Dissent

Abstract

The purpose of our article addresses two concerns of the special issue: taken for granted assumptions in the academy and complicating the way in which we have contented ourselves with anger at the expense of thoughtful engagement. Our essay explores the influence of Twitter on public dissent. We analyze the YouTube videos posted about the April 17th Free Speech rally as a text that demonstrates how the conventions of Twitter both shape how people publicly participate in and “report” dissent. Based on our analysis, we argue that the mapping of Twitter conventions onto both public dissent and citizen reporting turns the ACLU mantra of “‘combat[ing] hate speech with more speech’” on its head. So, while we agree that political expression and dissent are necessary to democracy, this kind of expression and dissent cultivates political resentment that undermines the foundations of democracy. We conclude with scholars’ responsibility to address this situation by cultivating both the right and responsibility of expression by balancing tolerance with respect and speaking and listening.