Statista trend report on the reception and discourse of the Black Lives Matter movement in traditional and social media
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a Black man, died in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Protests began shortly after, mostly under the banner of the social movement Black Lives Matter, promoting discourse about widespread racism against Blacks and people of color.
But how did Black Lives Matter become one of the largest social movements in U.S. history? To answer this question, this report defines the term social movement and analyses three key points which contributed to Black Lives Matter becoming what it is today:
The Black Lives Matter movement has dominated the media following the death of George Floyd, leading to one of the most intense periods of street protests in recent history. It was intensified by the COVID-19 crisis, which affected the U.S. economy strongly. Furthermore, it is to assume that the news coverage also contributed to the development of the movement: News coverage about George Floyd and racism dominated other topics measured on the number of published internet articles. This led to a high perception in the United States and internationally. News sites differed in their reporting intensity as well as in the tone in which they reported about George Floyd's death and the events the following.
Social media has also been used as a form of protest as well as an additional channel to spread content. The Black Lives Matter hashtag trended on Twitter in almost every western-oriented country. In the meantime, counter-protests like the All Lives Matter hashtags occurred as well. The analysis shows that the biggest protest in recent U.S. history spread to other countries as well, however with varying intensity.
All this led to reactions on different societal levels. Black Lives Matter made different social and political impacts e.g sport leagues allowed public support and protest forms of Black Lives Matter and companies donated in institutions against racial and economic inequality. The perspective on racism has changed and it is currently seen as one of the most central problems of U.S. society. This shift in perception could also affect the upcoming presidential election.
Black Lives Matter overview
We provide information on industries, companies, consumers, trends, countries, and politics, covering the latest and most important issues in a condensed format.
Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)
Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm (SGT)
Mon - Fri, 10:00am - 6:00pm (JST)
Mon - Fri, 9:30am - 5pm (GMT)
Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)