Content analysis of the #handsupdontshoot on Instagram Essay

Content analysis of the #handsupdontshoot on Instagram - Essay Example investigation of these research questions, this research uses cultivation theory to conduct a content analysis of #handsupdontshoot as it appears on Instagram and compares it intended message with the perceptions of Instagram users. Therefore four interviews are conducted. The results of the study reveal that African Americans and White Americans generally have different experiences with exposure to the criminal justice system and as such generally have different perspectives on the utility of #handsupdontshoot on Instagram. This research study uses cultivation theory in conducting a quantitative content analysis of #handsupdontshoot as portrayed on Instagram. The purpose of this research is to identify the messages conveyed by images posted to Instagram using #handsupdontshoot and how those images are received and interpreted by Instagram users. #handsupdontshoot began making its rounds on social media in the wake of the police fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri on August 9th, 2014. Eyewitness reports claimed that after struggling for a gun with White police officer Darren Wilson, Brown threw his hands up as he ran away and shouted â€Å"don’t shoot† (Pearce, 2014). According to the eyewitness, â€Å"don’t shoot† were Brown’s final words (Pearce, 2014). Protesters took to the streets of Ferguson with their hands up chanting, defiantly â€Å"hands up don’t shoot† (Pearce, 2014). According to Reverend Al Sharpton, the hands up donâ€℠¢t shoot chant is meant to express the frustration the African American community experiences with the criminal justice system. (Pearce, 2014). Therefore controversy over whether or not Michael Brown was actually surrendering at the time of his fatal shooting is not as important as the underlying racial tension between the criminal justice system, especially law enforcement and the African American community in general. According to Kidane and Abbas (2014), the Michael Brown shooting death brings to the