Hashtags, Resistance, and Reform: The Global Rise of Digital Activism
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61194/ijcs.v2i4.681Keywords:
Digital Activism, Social Media, Political Mobilization, Algorithmic Control, Online Participation, Hashtag Campaigns, Digital InequalityAbstract
This study explores the evolving role of digital activism in shaping public discourse and political mobilization through social media. It aims to assess how strategic digital tools such as hashtags, visual content, and storytelling facilitate collective identity and enhance civic engagement. Employing a narrative review methodology, the paper synthesizes empirical studies from multiple contexts including the Arab Spring, #BlackLivesMatter, and #EndSARS. Results reveal that social media enables real-time coordination, emotional resonance, and participatory communication that extend beyond traditional media boundaries. These campaigns are found to effectively generate pressure on policymakers and influence public opinion. However, systemic challenges persist. Studies indicate that algorithmic bias, digital surveillance, and censorship disproportionately affect activists, particularly in authoritarian regimes. Additionally, disparities in digital infrastructure and literacy contribute to uneven access and representation. The discussion highlights that while digital platforms serve as powerful tools, their impact is mediated by political, economic, and technological contexts. The study concludes by emphasizing the need for policy reforms that enhance digital inclusion, protect online freedoms, and ensure algorithmic accountability. Future research should address regional variations in digital mobilization and examine the interplay between online and offline activism. These insights contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of digital activism in a rapidly evolving communication landscape.
References
Araújo, R., Penteado, C., & Santos, M. (2015). Democracia digital e experiências de e-participação: webativismo e políticas públicas. História Ciências Saúde-Manguinhos, 22(suppl), 1597-1619. https://doi.org/10.1590/s0104-59702015000500004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-59702015000500004
Attaallah, N. (2023). Hashtag activism: an alternative pathway for the transnationalization of protests a case study of #savesheikhjarrah. Journal of Alternative & Community Media, 7(2), 157-177. https://doi.org/10.1386/jacm_00110_1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/jacm_00110_1
Babo, I. (2018). Redes, ativismo e mobilizações públicas. ação coletiva e ação conectada. Estudos Em Comunicação, 1(27), 219-244. https://doi.org/10.20287/ec.n27.v1.a14 DOI: https://doi.org/10.20287/ec.n27.v1.a14
Billard, T. (2020). Movement–media relations in the hybrid media system: a case study from the u.s. transgender rights movement. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 26(2), 341-361. https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161220968525 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161220968525
Blum, I., & Uldam, J. (2024). Faking, optimising and conceding to power: social movement understandings of social media power. New Media & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241266769 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241266769
Caballero, F., & Gravante, T. (2017). Digital media practices and social movements. a theoretical framework from latin america., 17-41. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65560-4_2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65560-4_2
Castro, C. (2023). Comparative study on digital inclusion among socially vulnerable activists and leaderships of organized social movements in brazil. Explorations in Media Ecology, 22(1), 5-14. https://doi.org/10.1386/eme_00147_1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/eme_00147_1
Celigueta, G., & Mauri, M. (2020). ¿textiles mediáticos? investigar sobre activismo indígena en panamá, guatemala y el espacio web 2.0. Revista Española De Antropología Americana, 50, 241-252. https://doi.org/10.5209/reaa.70367 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5209/reaa.70367
Cheng, E., Lui, E., & Fu, K. (2023). The power of digital activism for transnational advocacy: leadership, engagement, and affordance. New Media & Society, 26(11), 6416-6439. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448231155376 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448231155376
Denisova, A. (2016). Democracy, protest and public sphere in russia after the 2011–2012 anti-government protests: digital media at stake. Media Culture & Society, 39(7), 976-994. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443716682075 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443716682075
Faniyi, O. (2024). Unpredictable digital intimacies and virtual backstabbing: the feminist coalition’s political effect in nigeria. Communication Culture and Critique, 17(2), 137-145. https://doi.org/10.1093/ccc/tcae008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ccc/tcae008
Foyet, M., & Child, B. (2024). Covid-19, social media, algorithms and the rise of indigenous movements in southern africa: perspectives from activists, audiences and policymakers. Frontiers in Sociology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2024.1433998 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2024.1433998
Gerbaudo, P. (2017). From cyber-autonomism to cyber-populism: an ideological analysis of the evolution of digital activism. Triplec Communication Capitalism & Critique Open Access Journal for a Global Sustainable Information Society, 15(2), 477-489. https://doi.org/10.31269/triplec.v15i2.773 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31269/triplec.v15i2.773
Graham, T., Hames, S., & Alpert, E. (2024). The coordination network toolkit: a framework for detecting and analysing coordinated behaviour on social media. Journal of Computational Social Science, 7(2), 1139-1160. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42001-024-00260-z DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42001-024-00260-z
Khalil, A., & Storie, L. (2020). Social media and connective action: the case of the saudi women’s movement for the right to drive. New Media & Society, 23(10), 3038-3061. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820943849 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820943849
Kumar, R., & Thapa, D. (2014). Social media as a catalyst for civil society movements in india: a study in dehradun city. New Media & Society, 17(8), 1299-1316. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444814523725 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444814523725
Kuo, R., & Jackson, S. (2023). The political uses of memory: instagram and black-asian solidarities. Media Culture & Society, 46(1), 164-186. https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437231185963 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437231185963
Lewis, K. (2019). Digitally mediated martyrdom: the role of the visual in political arab activist culture. Journal of Arab & Muslim Media Research, 12(2), 169-189. https://doi.org/10.1386/jammr_00002_1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/jammr_00002_1
Papa, V. (2017). ‘to activists: please post and share your story’: renewing understandings on civic participation and the role of facebook in the indignados movement. European Journal of Communication, 32(6), 583-597. https://doi.org/10.1177/0267323117737953 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0267323117737953
Peña, P., Rodríguez, R., & Baeza, C. (2016). Movimiento estudiantil en chile, aprendizaje situado y activismo digital. compromiso, cambio social y usos tecnológicos adolescentes. Obets Revista De Ciencias Sociales, 11(1), 287. https://doi.org/10.14198/obets2016.11.1.11 DOI: https://doi.org/10.14198/OBETS2016.11.1.11
Rohlinger, D., & Bunnage, L. (2015). Connecting people to politics over time? internet communication technology and retention in moveon.org and the florida tea party movement. Information Communication & Society, 18(5), 539-552. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118x.2015.1008541 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2015.1008541
Sigurðardóttir, H., & Rautajoki, H. (2024). Embodying scenes of moral disorder: bodily gestures as a site of signification in feminist tiktok activism. Nordic Journal of Media Studies, 6(1), 11-35. https://doi.org/10.2478/njms-2024-0002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/njms-2024-0002
Sorce, G., & Dumitrica, D. (2022). Transnational dimensions in digital activism and protest. Review of Communication, 22(3), 157-174. https://doi.org/10.1080/15358593.2022.2107877 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15358593.2022.2107877
Treré, E. (2015). Reclaiming, proclaiming, and maintaining collective identity in the #yosoy132 movement in mexico: an examination of digital frontstage and backstage activism through social media and instant messaging platforms. Information Communication & Society, 18(8), 901-915. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118x.2015.1043744 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2015.1043744
Treré, E., & Mattoni, A. (2015). Media ecologies and protest movements: main perspectives and key lessons. Information Communication & Society, 19(3), 290-306. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118x.2015.1109699 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2015.1109699
Ureta, A., Morales-i-Gras, J., & Terradillos, J. (2019). Feminist hashtag activism in spain: measuring the degree of politicisation of online discourse on #yosítecreo, #hermanayosítecreo, #cuéntalo y #noestássola. Communication & Society, 32(4), 207-221. https://doi.org/10.15581/003.32.4.207-221 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15581/003.32.4.207-221
Uwalaka, T., & Nwala, B. (2023). Examining the role of social media and mobile social networking applications in socio-political contestations in nigeria. Communication and the Public, 8(3), 175-190. https://doi.org/10.1177/20570473231168474 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/20570473231168474
Zhou, Y. (2017). Internet censorship in the digital divide. Asian Journal of Social Science, 45(3), 340-361. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685314-04503006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/15685314-04503006
ملكاوي, أ., & Ambusaidi, K. (2021). Communication ethics for online social movements: a study on arab social networks on twitter. Journal of Arab & Muslim Media Research, 14(1), 117-142. https://doi.org/10.1386/jammr_00027_1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/jammr_00027_1
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Sudirman, Srie Rosmilawati, Nicodemus R. Toun, Nova Riyanti
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
