“I Heard It on the Grapevine” – Blogging, Facebook, YouTube, and Student Self-organization during a Faculty Strike

Before the web, a strike tended to be between two parties and the communication rules for such crises were clear: the employer funneled all messages through a single spokesperson to maintain control of its image while the union focused most of its efforts on maintaining the morale and commitment of its membership. The web enlarges the audiences for a strike and allows stakeholders to build coalitions against both sides.

During a faculty strike at Acadia University in 2007, student stakeholders developed their own online channels of communication to respond to faculty and administration actions. While the professors walked the picket line and the administrators remained cloistered in University Hall, a lively discourse was taking place on the web in student blogs, facebook groups, and You-Tube.

This reaction to this strike shows how new media can empower outsiders to make sense of events and organize themselves to put pressure on official social structures. In addition, it demonstrates the power of Millennial students to force others to take their views into account.