RESIST: Examining Black Lives Matter in the Changing Landscape of Social Trust

#BlackLivesMatter represents a quintessential example of digital resistance. The tenets of democratic change, however, rely on building social capital and social trust to sustain democratic action. This article, therefore, examines whether and how social trust is built through an online resistance movement. Using qualitative interview data pertaining to Black Lives Matter, we consider whether the bonds of social trust and social capital so central to face-to-face social movement are also fostered through online mobilization. Moreover, we examine how movement leadership and participants establish the trust that is sufficient for successful resistance. We find that individuals involved in BLM use social media as a resource to share factual events, and they trust social media because it lacks the modifications that occur through traditional media. At the same time, however, they invest in fact-checking and research as part of their resistance activism. The result is the growth of a form of networked social trust that exists over a virtual civic sphere. Accordingly, social media are tools to make local issues global, build trust, connect people, and bring about progressive social attitudes and social activism. We discuss the implications of these findings with regard to social media as a forum for resistance and democratic action more generally.