Let There Be Clamor: Exploring the Emergence of a New Public Sphere in India and Use of Social Media as an Instrument of Activism

Abstract

This article traces the emergence of a new public sphere in India by applying a critical-cultural theoretical lens to the digital discourse on the Twitter platform surrounding the 2014 Jadavpur University student movement against on-campus sexual violence. Social media platforms allowed the student movement to challenge not only the sociopolitical complications in academia but also the structural silence surrounding issues of sexual assault in the country. In this study, the method of qualitative textual analysis is used to critically analyze the tweets made using the hashtag #hokkolorob (meaning “let there be clamor”), during the movement. The findings in this examination indicate that the Internet today has the capacity to guide public opinion formation, influence collective action, and is emerging as a discursive public sphere among the youth of India. This study contributes toward an understanding of the use of social media communication for political mobilization in the Indian context.

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“…This exchange of views through discussion and deliberations on current affairs leads to the formation of public opinion. Recent studies argue that by fundamentally redefining interpersonal communications, the Internet has evolved into the perfect platform to act as the public sphere in which the social media platforms are the emerging public sphere sites of our era (Butsch, 2007;Dey, 2019;Dhillon, 2016, p. 4;Goode, 2005).…”

“…Similarly, Wojcieszak's (2009) study of online radical environmentalist groups exhibits that collective identity is established and strengthened through these online groups. Recent studies also indicate that social media is an effective tool for network building, mobilizing the masses, creating counternarratives, and affecting the political discourse through collective action (Bosch, 2017;Bosch & Mutsvairo, 2017;Dey, 2019;Garcia, Chauveau, Ledezma, & Pinto, 2013;Yan, Pegoraro, & Watanabe, 2018). Social media offers a variety of tools, formats, and content that can be used for civic engagement and political participation to support democracies and political communication (Suwana, 2019).…”

“…Social media offers a variety of tools, formats, and content that can be used for civic engagement and political participation to support democracies and political communication (Suwana, 2019). Although online activism alone cannot make physical changes, it can help create awareness and keep the conversation alive about the issues (Dey, 2019). As Valenzuela (2013) points out, online activism via social media can help create a parallel movement alongside the physical process and thereby amplify the protests.…”

“…Moyo (2009) describes the Internet as an autonomous and independent public sphere which allows members to create and engage in democratic discussions. Similarly, Dey (2019) argues that social media platforms are the most prominent emerging public sphere sites for today's society. Especially over the last three decades, social activism relying on the Internet, which McCaughey and Ayers (2003) call "online activism," has become an increasingly popular and effective way of sharing information and organizing people to express resistance.…”