مؤسسة الشرق الأوسط للنشر العلمي
عادةً ما يتم الرد في غضون خمس دقائق
Social media has become an undeniable force shaping socio-political movements. This paper explores the interplay between random and strategic social media use, arguing that the most effective approach lies in a synergy between these two forces. The research differentiates between random (casual browsing, sharing) and strategic (targeted content, influencer outreach) social media use, analyzing their advantages and disadvantages for movements. Random user engagement, while seemingly inconsequential, can fuel a movement's reach and visibility. Strategic use, on the other hand, allows movements to set the agenda through targeted messaging and narrative control. The paper examines the 2019 Lebanese uprising as a case study, demonstrating how movements harnessed the power of both random amplification and strategic content creation to achieve their goals, while using examples for real world cases such as the #BlackLivesMatter and the #MeToo movements. This research contributes to the field by proposing a framework for understanding random and strategic social media use in socio-political movements, highlighting the importance of synergy between these approaches for maximizing reach and impact, and encouraging further research on how this framework interacts with established models like agenda-setting theory.