From Hashtags to Movements: The Role of social media in Political Mobilization

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-559-1_27How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Social Media; Political Mobilization; Hashtag Activism; Digital Movements; Collective Action

Abstract

Social media has emerged as a powerful tool for political mobilization, transforming isolated expressions of dissent into organized global movements. This study investigates how platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have evolved from mere communication channels into dynamic instruments of political engagement and activism. The primary objective is to explore the mechanisms through which hashtags, viral content, and digital networks influence collective political action and policy discourse.

The research adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining content analysis of selected political movements (e.g., #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, and #ArabSpring) with social network analysis (SNA) and sentiment analysis to assess the reach, influence, and emotional resonance of key digital campaigns. Data were collected from public posts, engagement metrics, and online archives spanning 2010–2024.

Findings indicate that social media enables rapid information dissemination, decentralizes leadership structures, and amplifies marginalized voices. Hashtags serve as rallying points for identity formation and ideological alignment, while real-time engagement fosters emotional connectivity and global solidarity. However, the research also highlights vulnerabilities, including misinformation, surveillance, and digital authoritarianism.

The originality of this study lies in its integrative analytical framework that connects technological affordances with political behaviour, offering new insights into the digital mobilization lifecycle—from issue emergence to policy impact. Its value is both theoretical and practical: providing a nuanced understanding of digital activism for scholars, and strategic implications for policymakers, civil society actors, and media practitioners seeking to harness or regulate social media for democratic participation.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - K. Balaji
AU  - P. Seshagiri Rao
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/04/19
TI  - From Hashtags to Movements: The Role of social media in Political Mobilization
BT  - Proceedings of the Global Innovation and Technology Summit “AAROHAN 3.0”_HSS track (GITS-HSS 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 412
EP  - 421
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-559-1_27
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-559-1_27
ID  - Balaji2026
ER  -