Identity-Based Social Movements on the Digital Public Sphere: The Case of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement’s (PTM) Use of Twitter

Abstract

This study aimed to examine how an ethnic-based Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) uses collective action frames on twitter to define problems, assign blame, convey a plan of action, and inspire participation. For this purpose, social movement theory was the guiding theory of this study. Furthermore, it investigated the tactics PTM uses to gain the attention of journalists, media organizations, and NGOs for exposure and legitimacy and whether PTM succeeded in doing so. The study employed quantitative content analysis. The result revealed the following framing practices of PTM. The analysis of tweets revealed that PTM was clear about the issues of the Pashtun community and who was responsible for those issues. However, they have few solutions and remedies to offer that could mitigate those problems. As for motivational framing, the study found twitter to be a campaigning and information-sharing platform for PTM’s public demonstrations. Tweets also revealed PTM’s practice of mentioning prominent journalists, media organizations, and NGOs. And although the mentioned activity was high, the study found no correlation between the number of mentions and the reciprocal tweets. This study contributes to the literature in three ways. Firstly, it resuscitated the significance of social movement theory in understanding movements. Secondly, tweets mentioning prominent people and groups can be used as a metric for gaining attention and for legitimacy. Thirdly, it shows how in the absence of mainstream media, social movements on social networking platforms resort to alternative sources for exposure.