ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we ask what kind of communication and mobilization strategies were used by activists from the perspective of critical public relations theory. We find that an effective PR and mobilization strategy made it possible for Ayotzinapa activists to break the media siege imposed by the federal government. Their PR strategy also made it possible to frame the story in such a way that the 43 student–teachers were perceived as victims of government corruption, not as criminals, so their case was not forgotten. We reach the conclusion that the use of social media is a necessary but not sufficient reason to explain the success of their strategy. Social media served to spread their message, but this message still had to resonate with people in the physical world. In addition, the previous face-to-face connections that existed among core activists laid out the foundations of trust necessary to get involved in risky disruptive actions. It is unlikely that this level of mobilization had happened without these pre-existing activists’ networks.
