This post, published today in Monkey Cage, is based on some research, with Marco T. Bastos and Dan Mercea (recently published in the Journal of Communication, see also http://papers.ssrn.com)

A storm of protests in 2011 disputed the legitimacy of the institutional status quo across authoritarian and democratic countries alike. From the Arab Spring to the Indignados, from the London riots to the Occupy movement, a heated debate has ensued about whether people’s coming onto the streets may be aided in any significant manner by the use of social media. The debate has lingered for a decade now and is revisited with every new uprising that rises to international prominence.

Continue reading How social media usage does and does not predict protests →