Mask(ing) Emotion: Social Symbolic Objects as Catalysts of Emotion Work in Social Movement Organizations

Abstract

Social symbolic objects, such as masks, can powerfully shape and transform emotions within and about organizations. In this article, we examine how social movement organizations (SMOs) use artifacts to trigger emotion work by members and audiences. Using Twitter engagement data referencing the Guy Fawkes mask as adopted by Anonymous and Occupy during their peak years, we identified three outcomes of artifact use: new member recruitment, heightened public alienation, and creation/consolidation of a collective member identity. Our findings extend theories of emotion cycles of resistance in social movements (Sandlin & Callahan, 2009) and sensemaking of organizational artifacts (Rafaeli & Vilnai-Yavetz, 2004) by demonstrating how social symbolic objects operationalize these theories. A key value of the integrative framework we offer lies in providing clarity on how emotion work practices using artifacts influence both internal and external actors in SMOs.