This includes a partial abstract, my Methods section, and the beginnings of my data collection.

 

Abstract

This study is aimed at exploring how websites present and characterize the protest of Black men in contemporary American society. A Google search was conducted using the phrase “Black male protest,” and the top 3 results were used as the objects of study. A Data Collection Tool was created consisting of questions pertaining to each site’s ownership, currency, purpose, and aesthetic characteristics. It was determined that (will be completed at the end once I gather my data and write up my results)

I. Introduction (Placeholder) (to include a Lit Review)

II. Methods

The method I used for my research was to collect data from websites to determine what information is currently being disseminated online regarding Black men engaging in civic protest. I conducted my search on November 11, 2018, using Google as my search engine. Using the research question How do websites represent Black male protest in contemporary American society? as my foundation, I conducted a Google search of the phrase “Black male protest” to determine how the notion of Black male protest is being perceived and discussed. (Note: Google was used for this search because it is, according to Jerri Collins of Lifewire.com, the search engine used by most people Their website states that “As of this past June, Google occupies 68.75 percent of the global search engine pie.” They also state that according to Google’s Senior Vice President, Amit Singhal, “Google now processes over 40,000 search queries every second on average which translates to over 3.5 billion searches per day and 1.2 trillion searches per year worldwide…”)

Prior to viewing the websites and conducting my research, I created a Data Collection Chart that included the questions to be answered as I examined each website.  I coded my data based on the following criteria and questions:

Information about the site (ownership, currency)

1. What is the name of the website?
2. When was the site last updated?
3. Who owns the site?

The sites purpose, audience, and tone

1. What is the site’s purpose?
2. Who is the site’s audience?
3. What is the tone of the site’s content?

The site’s physical characteristics

1. What are the aesthetic characteristics of the site?
2. What types of images are used on the sites?

I chose to code the data in this way because answering questions specifically focused on the content found within these digital spaces will help us understand how spatial rhetorics are used to construct a specific narrative about Black males and their protest efforts.

III. Results

IV. Analysis

V. Discussion

Miscellaneous Section

Data Collection (Work in Progress)

Information about the site (ownership, currency)—NBCNEWS.com

1. What is the name of the website? NBCNews.com
2. When was the site last updated? Daily updated
3. Who owns the site? NBCUniversal, which is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation

The site’s purpose, audience, and tone

1. What is the site’s purpose? According to the site’s “About” section—“We provide something for every news consumer with our comprehensive offerings that deliver the best in breaking news, segments from your favorite NBC News shows, live video coverage, original journalism, lifestyle features, commentary and local updates.”
2. Who is the site’s audience? According to the site’s “About” section, they seek to provide “something for every news consumer.”
3. What is the tone of the site’s content? The tone is relatively unbiased. There appears to be an effort to report the information objectively. It reads as informative (as opposed to persuasive).
4. The site’s content
5. What information is found on this site? The information on this page is an article titled “Alabama Police Suggest Black Man Killed by Officers Shouldn’t Have Held His Gun,” and it comes from the Associated Press.

Information about the site 2 (ownership, currency)— USAToday.com

1. What is the name of the website? USAToday.com
2. How often is the site updated? Daily updated
3. Who owns the site? Gannett Company
4. What is the site’s readership (number or readers)? “We reach nearly three million readers daily, and our mobile applications attest to more than 24 million downloads on mobile devices” (“About”)

The site’s purpose, audience, and tone

1. What is the site’s purpose? According to their “About” section, USA Today’s purpose is   “serve as a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation.”
2. Who is the site’s audience?
3. What is the tone of the site’s content?

The site’s content

1. What information is found on this site? “breaking news, sports, money, life, weather, technology and travel news — all updated 24 hours a day, seven days a week”
2. What information is found on this page? Article titled “Alabama mall shooting: Officer killed the wrong man, officials say”
3. What information is found on this page? Advertisements, videos.

Works Cited

Appendix (to include screenshots showing my search results)