Marginalized Identity Invocation Online: The Case of President Donald Trump on Twitter

Abstract

Political communication about marginalized groups takes many forms, but none are more influential in the present moment than those that circulate via social media. This article takes two steps to better understand this important form of communication. First, it offers a four-part conceptual framework for studying marginalized identity invocation. It then pairs quantitative content analysis with critical/cultural analysis to examine the census of Donald Trump’s tweets during his first two years as president. Focusing especially on tonal variation in Trump’s tweets about different marginalized groups, we situate our findings in relation to the noteworthy power dynamics inherent in this variety of communication.