Timothy Graham, Queensland University of Technology; Axel Bruns, Queensland University of Technology; Daniel Angus, Queensland University of Technology; Edward Hurcombe, Queensland University of Technology, and Samuel Hames, Queensland University of Technology
It only took a relatively small number of Twitter accounts to get hashtags #DictatorDan and #DanLiedPeopleDied trending. And “bots” weren’t really a part of the story.
From its beginnings as a geeky tool to deal with a fragmented information stream, Twitter made the hashtag a new and powerful part of the world’s cultural, social and political vocabulary.
Hospitals have requested that people avoid non-emergency visits, and conspiracy theorists are posting images of empty parking lots online as false proof that COVID-19 is an elaborate hoax.
Online social movements are not leaderless. On the contrary, leadership duties are often assumed by identifiable individuals committed to doing leadership work.
For many gay men, social media and dating apps are hotbeds of body image struggles and rising toxic masculinity – the recent ‘10-year-challenge’ on Instagram showcases this femmephobia.
Axel Bruns, Queensland University of Technology and Brenda Moon, Queensland University of Technology
‘Phatic sharing’ reclaims Twitter as a truly social network, rather than simply as a source of breaking news or a place for public debate between politicians, journalists, and activists.
Social media campaigns such as #PrayForNice have been accused of being discriminatory for focusing on Western attacks, but research shows that familiarity and location are more relevant.