Calculative practices, social movements and the rise of collective identity: how #istayathome mobilised a nation

Abstract

PurposeThe Italian government addressed the first wave of its COVID-19 outbreak with a series of social restrictions and calculative practices, all branded with the slogan #istayathome. The hashtag quickly went viral, becoming both a mandate and a mantra and, as the crisis played out, we witnessed the rise of the Italian social movement #istayathome. This study examines how the government's calculative practices led to #istayathome and the constituents that shaped this social movement.Design/methodology/approachThe authors embrace social movement theory and the collective identity perspective to examine #istayathome as a collective action and social movement. Using passive netnography, text mining and interpretative text analysis enhanced by machine learning, the authors analysed just over 350,000 tweets made during the period March to May 2020, each brandishing the hashtag #istayathome.FindingsThe #istayathome movement gained traction as a response to the Italian government's call for collective action. Thus, people became an active part of mobilising collective responsibility, enhancing the government's plans. A collective identity on the part of the Italian people sustained the mass mobilisation, driven by cohesion, solidarity and a deep cultural trauma from COVID-19's dramatic effects. Popular culture and Italy's long traditions also helped to form the collective identity of #istayathome. This study found that calculative practices acted as a persuasive technology in forming this collective identity and mobilising people's collective action. Numbers stimulated the cognitive, moral and emotional connections of the social ties shaping collective identity and responsibility. Thus, through collective identity, calculative practices indirectly influenced mass social behaviors and the social movement.Originality/valueThis study offers a novel theoretical perspective and empirical knowledge to explain how government power affects people's culture and everyday life. It unveils the sociological drivers that mobilise collective behaviors and enriches the accounting literature on the effects of calculative practices in managing emergencies. The study contributes to theory by providing an understanding of how calculative practices can influence collective behaviors and can be used to construct informal networks that go beyond the government's traditional formalities.

The many faces of social media in business and economics research: Taking stock of the literature and looking into the future

“…For instance, in the context of the COVID‐19 outbreak, La Torre et al. (2022) show how the Italian government engaged citizens to support social distancing using a hashtag‐based campaign (#istayathome).…”

“…In turn, fewer studies have focused on how the government can use social media to build collective identity and mobilize citizens. For instance, in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak, La Torre et al (2022) show how the Italian government engaged citizens to support social distancing using a hashtag-based campaign (#istayathome).…”

Accounting and social capital: A review and reflections on future research opportunities

“…Social media and its contribution to the formation of social ties has generated great research interest recently (Kelton & Pennington, 2020; Saxton & Guo, 2020). However, there are arguments in sociological research that large quantities of online data may result in quantitative studies adopting a reductionist approach to complex sociological phenomena, such as social capital (La Torre et al, 2022). Therefore, there is need to engage with novel research methods, such as netnography, that combine quantitative ana qualitative thecniques and are both rich in nature and wide in scope to examine social capital formation thoroughly (Jeacle, 2021; La Torre et al, 2022).…”

“…For example, La Torre et al (2022) provide an understanding of how calculative practices can enact and foster social movements formation, their collective identity and the societal ties driving collective behaviours. In this regard, for example, social movements theories can open up new research avenues in accounting research and novel ways to understand and theorise on social capital.…”

The #MeToo legacy and “the Collective Us”: conceptualising accountability for sexual misconduct at work

“…One way to explore such insights is through social movement theory (Ishkanian, 2022; La Torre et al ., 2022). “The Collective Us” could disintegrate one day, and then “suddenly” be empowered and mobilised around a shared idea or target.…”