Hashtag activism: An alternative pathway for the transnationalization of protests a case study of #SaveSheikhJarrah

Abstract

Digital media have provided activists with communication and organizational tools that have revolutionized the work of social movements. This article contributes to the literature on the role of digital media in the transnationalization of protests by examining a case study of a digital advocacy campaign initiated by Palestinian activists against the Israeli occupation using #SaveSheikhJarrah. It presents an empirical case in which digital media provide an alternative pathway for transnationalizing a local cause through applying the connective action framework. It argues that the Sheikh Jarrah activists successfully used connective action mechanisms through digital media techniques to transnationalize protests that began in East Jerusalem and spread beyond national borders to numerous locations worldwide. Moreover, the study employs a mixed-method analysis that incorporates the network perspective to explain the flow of information and the activists’ roles and relations, in addition to using topic modelling to explain the counterpublic’s narrative building mechanism.