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Make It Trend! Setting Right-Wing Media Agendas Using Twitter Hashtags

  • Harvard University
  • University of Toronto

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

In this chapter, we test the efficacy with which right-wing Twitter influencers are able to drive news media agendas via “hashtag activism.” Building on media theory and recent social media studies and drawing on the successful right-wing #AOCLied hashtag campaign of February 2021 as a “proof of concept,” we track the tweets of 19 right-wing influencers in near-real time for 9 weeks (mid-March to mid-May 2021), identifying all hashtags coined, amplified, or mentioned. We find that only 8.8% (3 of 34) of hashtags coined or amplified by right-wing influencers were plausibly intended as a deliberate campaign to game Twitter’s trending algorithm. While these hashtags did garner some news media attention, they were primarily covered by far-right media outlets and never for more than a few days. We conclude with a discussion of what this means for hashtag activism, the role that Twitter plays in editorializing its trending lists and deplatforming users, and future research into other mechanisms of amplification.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Social Media Debate
Subtitle of host publicationUnpacking the Social, Psychological, and Cultural Effects of Social Media
Place of PublicationNew York
PublisherRoutledge
Chapter7
Number of pages24
Edition1
ISBN (Print)9781003171270
Publication statusPublished - 17 Feb 2022
Externally publishedYes

Publication series

NameThe Social Media Debate: Unpacking the Social, Psychological, and Cultural …

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