Mobility and affect in the #deleteuber mo(ve)ment

Abstract

This study examines the material, spatial, and temporal implications of mobility discourses in the viral #deleteuber hashtag and the affective public that emerged in response to the Trump administration’s so-called ‘Muslim ban’ in January 2017. A thematic analysis of 3611 tweets suggested that the hashtag produced various mobility discourses debated among an affective public disgusted at the company’s actions or the call to action implied by the hashtag. These discourses were framed by the spatial qualities of mobility discourses and this moment of halted movement, the timing of this hashtag and hashtivism generally, and #deleteuber’s material, real-world implications. Our research reveals how mobility discourses can be used to understand mobility topics beyond transportation, and it provides a glimpse into the consciousness of some social media users reeling from significant political change.