This chapter applies framing theory to better understand how one particular group of food security advocates in Australia employed Twitter in a campaign designed to have an impact on policy regarding the right to food. It provides insight into how Twitter elements such as hashtags, handles and mentions can serve as issue-framing devices and mediators within food advocacy networks. The chapter demonstrates the strategic value of the tool for facilitating a cross-flow of information between ideologically aligned advocacy organisations, both domestically and internationally. In virtual food communities, political activism coincides with recipe sharing and restaurant reviewing while also facilitating local, place-based mobilisations. The persistence of digital divides, the prevalence of elite voices and the commercialisation of the Internet raise questions about the democratising potential of social media. Frame analysis has been applied to explore how food insecurity is socially constructed in high-income nations such as Canada.

Item Type:	Research Book Chapter
Keywords:	digital methods, activism, twitter
Research Division:	Language, Communication and Culture
Research Group:	Communication and media studies
Research Field:	Environmental communication
Objective Division:	Culture and Society
Objective Group:	Communication
Objective Field:	Communication not elsewhere classified
UTAS Author:	Mann, A (Professor Alana Mann)
ID Code:	150646
Year Published:	2018
Deposited By:	Media
Deposited On:	2022-06-23
Last Modified:	2022-07-26
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