Tweets and Mobilisation: Collective Action Theory and Social Media

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between social protest and social media from the theoretical perspective of the Collective Action Research Program. While the literature shows strongempirical evidence for a positive relationship between social media use and incidents of social protest, the theoretical underpinnings of this relationship remain contested and often unspecified. In order to provide a stronger theoretical basis for this relationship this paper explores theories of collective action, focusing on how social media can assist in solving the dissident collective action problem. It argues that using collective action theory to understand social media and protest can better inform our understanding of how and why social media shares a positive relationship with incidents of social protest.