Social Networks Influencing Black Girls’ Interpretations of Chris Brown’s Violence Against Rihanna

This study identifies the social networks used by urban Black girls to interpret a highly publicized episode of dating violence and ensuing conflicts between hip-hop stars Chris Brown and Rihanna. Forty-three adolescent Black girls (age 11-17 years) were asked how they heard about the relationship conflicts and what they thought about them. The media, school peers, friends, and family members emerged as the key social networks participants relied on when gathering information about and interpreting reported incidents. The mainstream media was seen as portraying Brown, the perpetrator, negatively, whereas school peers, friends, and family were seen as portraying Brown in more mixed or positive ways. The degree to which participants viewed each source as influential depended on whether the source was seen as generally trustworthy and knowledgeable about hip-hop. While the media was a frequently cited source of information, participants did not trust the mainstream media’s analyses. In contrast, hiphop media was viewed as the most unbiased and accurate information source. The importance of these networks in supporting healthy relationships for Black girls is discussed. 1Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA Corresponding Author: Dionne P. Stephens, Department of Psychology, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, DM 203, Miami, FL 33199, USA. Email: [email protected] 648829 JBPXXX10.1177/0095798416648829Journal of Black PsychologyStephens and Eaton research-article2016 at FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIV on May 19, 2016 jbp.sagepub.com Downloaded from 2 Journal of Black Psychology