Staunton Makerspace Communication and Classes Management Systems; Activism and Social Media

Modes of communication bear complex implications for nonprofits and advocacies.
The Staunton Makerspace needs better communication between management and its users. The research team developed the Communication Management System for Makerspace. With it, users can send and view messages with an assigned key fob. Because a web application that is displayed in the Makerspace was used, users can check messages at any time. This web application is in a kiosk, where more users can see general, direct, and “guild” messages.
Advocacy groups use social media to publicize and promote their causes. Black Lives Matter has used Twitter as a primary communication method; Blue Lives Matter arose as a primary opponent of Black Lives Matter. Social media posts indicate that supporters of both groups use social media similarly, but Black Lives Matter supporters more often use outrage at other groups. These findings offer lessons for other advocacies.

School of Engineering and Applied Science
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
Technical Advisor: Ahmed Ibrahim
STS Advisor: Peter Norton
Technical Team Members: Damon Cestaro, Hunter Williams, Kane Lee, Pranay Dubey, Michael Laterza, Michael Wood, Samuel Ting