Twitter (X), Fast Fashion and Backlash: Argumentation and Ethics on Social Media

Balabanova, Ekaterina, Palmieri, Rudi ORCID: 0000-0002-5122-3058 and Liu, Zixiu ORCID: 0000-0002-9304-0196 (2025) Twitter (X), Fast Fashion and Backlash: Argumentation and Ethics on Social Media Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 88 (3). pp. 489-511. ISSN 2329-4906, 2329-4922

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Abstract

Social media backlashes have emerged as important phenomena complicating how businesses communicate online and representing significant brand risk. This article demonstrates the value of content analysis and argumentation theory for understanding and responding to social media backlash events, using two examples from the UK fashion industry (hashtags #ThanksItsASOS and #boycottboohoo). The results provide lessons about the way backlashes operate in practice, how to analyze these effectively, and have implications for business approaches to communicating about Corporate Social Responsibility and managing social media. The authors conclude with suggestions for training on social media and CSR for businesses.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	4701 Communication and Media Studies, 35 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services, 3507 Strategy, Management and Organisational Behaviour, 47 Language, Communication and Culture, 50 Philosophy and Religious Studies, 5001 Applied Ethics, 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Divisions:	Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences > School of the Arts
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	10 Nov 2023 14:40
Last Modified:	16 Jan 2026 05:10
DOI:	10.1177/23294906231208411
Open Access URL:	https://doi.org/10.1177/23294906231208411
Related Websites:	Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3176719
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