Deana A. Rohlinger
Professor of Sociology, Florida State University
Chapter Member: Florida SSN
Areas of Expertise:
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About Deana
Rohlinger's research focuses on communications, conservative movements, and civic engagement. Overarching themes in Rohlinger's writing include the effects of digital media on political participation and activism as well as the role of virtual communities in political polarization. Rohlinger is a Director of Research at FSU's Institute of Politics, a member of the National Institue for Civil Discourse Reserach Network, and the incoming chair of the American Sociological Association's section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements.
Contributions
U.S. Abortion Politics in the Early Twenty-First Century
Key Findings Brief,
How Social Movements are Using the Internet to Change Politics
Key Findings Brief,
No Jargon Podcast
In the News
"We Cannot Just Moderate Extremism Away," Deana A. Rohlinger, Items Insights from the Social Sciences, March 9, 2021.
"Three Ways the Women’s Movement in US Politics is Misunderstood," Deana A. Rohlinger, The Conversation, November 15, 2018.
"3 Reasons Why Teachers are Striking Right Now," Deana A. Rohlinger, The Conversation, April 26, 2018.
"Under Siege, Abortion-Rights Advocates Must Link Health Care to Economic Prosperity," Deana A. Rohlinger, American Prospect, November 21, 2016.
Guest to discuss the effects of the new ways people consume information on NPR WSFU, Deana A. Rohlinger, November 3, 2016.
Deana A. Rohlinger quoted on addressing the problem of sexual assault by Kate Payne, "Allegations Against Donald Trump Reignite Conversation on Consent" WSFU, October 14, 2016.
"The Far-Reaching Consequences of the Supreme Court Abortion Rights Challenge," Deana A. Rohlinger, The American Prospect, March 1, 2016.
"Here’s Why Ammon Bundy’s Oregon Standoff Might Actually Work," Deana A. Rohlinger, Fortune, January 10, 2016.
"Republicans Need to Rein in Abortion Rhetoric for Their Own Political Good," Deana A. Rohlinger, U.S. News and World Report, December 3, 2015.
Deana A. Rohlinger quoted on injecting the abortion issue into an otherwise unrelated policy debate by Erin Kelly, "Abortion Politics Threaten Bipartisan Bills in Congress" USA Today, March 25, 2015.
Guest to discuss raising public awareness of Florida's water issue on WFSU: What the Water 'Declaration' Actually Does, Deana A. Rohlinger, January 24, 2014.
Guest to discuss the debate surrounding women's health on NPR All Things Considered: Planned Parenthood vs. Komen: Women’s Health Giants Face Off over Abortion, Deana A. Rohlinger, February 1, 2012.
Guest to discuss abortion on NPR Morning Edition: Planned Parenthood: A Thorn in Abortion Foes’ Sides, Deana A. Rohlinger, April 13, 2011.
Publications
"Mass Media and Institutional Change: Organizational Reputation, Strategy, and Outcomes in the Academic Freedom Movement. " (with ). Mobilization: An International Quarterly 18, no. 1 (forthcoming): 41-64.
Examines how the reputation of activist groups affects their ability to move their ideas into mainstream media outlets.
"Did the Tea Party Movement Fuel the Trump-Train? The Role of Social Media in Activist Persistence and Political Change in the 21st Century" (with ). Social Media + Society 3, no. 2 (2017): 1-11.
Uses longitudinal data to assess who stayed and who left the Tea Party movement and how this may have helped fuel the Trump-Train in 2016.
"Collective Identity in the Digital Age: Thin and Thick Identities in MoveOn.org and the Tea Party Movement" (with ). Mobilization: An International Quarterly 23, no. 2 (2018): 135-157.
Outlines how contemporary movements can cultivate relatively strong and weak collective identities among its supporters, and discusses the implications of these identities for electoral politics.
"Connecting People to Politics Over Time? Internet Communication Technology and Activist Persistence in Moveon.org and the Tea Party Movement" (with ). Information, Communication & Society 18, no. 5 (2005): 539-552.
Assesses how movements can use Internet Communication Technology to engage average citizens and keep them involved over time.
"Inclusive Discourse? Local Media Coverage of the Terri Schiavo Case" (with ). Sociological Spectrum (2015).
Discusses the many angles surrounding the Terri Schiavo’s case. Argues that mainstream newspapers are relatively inclusive of diverse ideas and perspectives - regardless of whether the newspaper is independently or corporately owned, the political leanings of the target audience, and the geographic location of the outlet. Suggests that local outlets downplay ideas that are likely to be regarded as controversial by their target audiences.
"Abortion Politics, Mass Media, and Social Movements in America" (Cambridge University Press, 2015).
Discusses how activists use a variety of mediums, sometimes simultaneously, to agitate for – and against – legal abortion. Examines why some activist groups are more desperate than others to attract media attention and sheds light on what this means for policy making and legal abortion in the twenty-first century.
"Cohort Consequences: Political Generation and Change" (with ). Journal of Women & Aging 25 (2015).
Argues that women use their political generation, and the gains of the women’s movement specifically, to oppose cultural constructions of aging. Discusses how The Red Hat Society provides a “free space” for women to foster a collective identity that both visibly challenges aging norms and provides its members new standards for self-approval. Emphasizes the importance of focusing on political generation to understand collective action over the life course and call for more scholarship on the function of political generation in social change.
"Framing Faith: Explaining Cooperation and Conflict in the U.S. Conservative Christian Political Movement" (with ). Social Movement Studies 8, no. 4 (2009): 341-358.
Looks at how politicians and movement leaders constructed frames that united – and then divided – the Conservative Christian Political Movement in the United States.
"Democracy, Action and the Internet after 9/11" (with ). American Behavioral Scientist 53, no. 1 (2009): 133-150.
Shows how individuals critical of President Bush’s “War on Terror” used digital communities to engage in political activism after 9/11.