Black Women Faculty, Digital Social Networks, and Mobilizing Social Capital

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine how Black women university-level faculty develop and use informal digital social networks to facilitate social capital. Black cyberfeminism and social capital theory were two theoretical traditions utilized as a conceptual framework for this study. Using a mixed-methodology design with social network analysis and critical discourse analysis, this dissertation examined the structures and connections within the Twitter #CiteBlackWomen informal network and explored discourse around gendered and racialized experiences of Black women within the academy.

Throughout this dissertation I drew from user connections and content within the Tweets to examine and illustrate how the #CiteBlackWomen hashtag is used as an informal network for Black women faculty. Results of the social network analysis indicate a large, loosely connected network with small pockets of more densely connected clusters. The most central users in the network were likely to serve as a bridge between unconnected individuals within the loose network. Examining clusters revealed more cohesive structures and higher levels of mutual connections. Findings from the critical discourse analysis reveal an informal digital community used for a) disseminating information about work created by Black women, b) combating erasure of Black women’s intellectual contributions and labor; and c) digitally mediated spaces for affirmation, accountability, and support.

Findings from this dissertation provide evidence of individual and structural social capital formation within the #CiteBlackWomen network, although questions exist about how and to what extent do network participants access social capital. This dissertation demonstrated how informal digital networks can serve as professional communities of practice through creating a space for learning and development for Black women faculty. The #CiteBlackWomen network also was situated as a digital counterpublic and by confronting, acknowledging, and re-centering Black women faculty in academic life and beyond without the existence of gatekeeping and hierarchical structures common in the academy. Findings from this study provide theoretical implications for social media and network research. Practical implications for using digital networks also exist with regard to supporting Black women faculty and others from historically marginalized backgrounds.