Mining Twitter Data from the Arab Spring
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Authors
Schroeder, Rob, Everton, Sean
Russell Shepherd
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2012
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Abstract
In this article we draw on social movement theory to help explain how the use of social media, in particular Twitter feeds, may have played a role in the emergence of the Egyptian Arab Spring revolution. More precisely, we suggest that activists' uses of Twitter may have facilitated the framing of grievances in ways that resonated with their target audience. In an examination of a subgroup of primarily Arab-speaking Twitter users, we found that not only did traditional media and activists appear to play a large role in framing the events in Egypt, but so did a fake Twitter account impersonating Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. This account's tweets attracted a large audience, and may have helped disseminate a portrayal of Mubarak as a corrupt leader who should resign, both of which were goals of the Egyptian revolution.
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Article
Description
Combating Terrorism Exchange 2.4 (2012): 54-64
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Defense Analysis (DA)
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Citation
Schroeder, Rob, Sean Everton, and Russell Shepherd. "Mining Twitter Data from the Arab Spring." Combating Terrorism Exchange 2.4 (2012): 54-64.
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This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.