Twitter responses to mass shooting on college campus

Gun violence is a growing problem facing college campuses. Little is understood to date in terms of campus community reactions and response to such instance of mass violence. Despite a rising focus in attention to threat assessment and other campus-based responses to violence since the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting, there exists a tremendous gap in empirical knowledge concerning needs, campus system functions, and other policy-relevant factors affecting responses to mass shooters. This study aims to generate basic science knowledge to inform campus-related policy concerning mass shootings and other violent incidents on college campuses. Using social media data following the 2019 UNCC campus shooting, we specifically seek to answer the following research questions (RQs):<br>1. What themes appear in student and community Twitter reactions in the immediate aftermath of a campus mass shooting?2. How do those themes vary over time?