Let There Be Clamor: Exploring the Emergence of a New Public Sphere in India and Use of Social Media as an Instrument of Activism

Abstract

This article traces the emergence of a new public sphere in India by applying a critical-cultural theoretical lens to the digital discourse on the Twitter platform surrounding the 2014 Jadavpur University student movement against on-campus sexual violence. Social media platforms allowed the student movement to challenge not only the sociopolitical complications in academia but also the structural silence surrounding issues of sexual assault in the country. In this study, the method of qualitative textual analysis is used to critically analyze the tweets made using the hashtag #hokkolorob (meaning “let there be clamor”), during the movement. The findings in this examination indicate that the Internet today has the capacity to guide public opinion formation, influence collective action, and is emerging as a discursive public sphere among the youth of India. This study contributes toward an understanding of the use of social media communication for political mobilization in the Indian context.