EuroMaidan Protests in Ukraine: Social Media Versus Social Networks

Abstract

Employing original, on-site EuroMaidan Protest-Participant Survey data collected by the author in Kyiv between November 26, 2013, and January 13, 2014, triangulated with interview, focus group, and documentary data, the article contextualizes who was the average EuroMaidan protester and what did they want? Yet, the main focus is on the question of how the protest participants were mobilized. Making a contribution to several ongoing debates regarding the micro-level foundations of protest, the article elucidates that while social media and internet news sites played an important role in diffusing information and framing protest claims, they are not in themselves mobilizing. The author argues that social media can compound and facilitate the role of pre-existing social network ties that are more influential in the mobilization process.