Beyond The Hashtag: A Decade of Twitter Activism in India

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Beyond the Hashtag examines two collective actions set apart by nearly a decade. It studies the conversations that played out on Twitter (now X) during the 2012 Delhi rape case, also known as the Nirbhaya case, and the 2021 Farmers' agitation, where social media served as a bridge between the offline and online worlds. Asynchronous communication on social media by concerned individuals, journalists, and news organisations has been systematically collected, collated, and discussed. The book underscores the importance of research on social media activism in India, making it a significant academic resource spanning diverse disciplines. It caters to scholars and students in mass communication, journalism, new media, social media, computer-mediated communication, sociology, political science, and law. In the world of tweets and likes, this book offers insights for a deeper understanding of today's ever-evolving media landscapes.

Dr Archana R Singh is a Professor at the School of Communication Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh. Prof Singh is a recipient of the prestigious Senior Fellowship from ICSSR and has been nominated on various panels, including UNESCO's Review Panel on Youth and Violent Extremism on Social Media. Her extensive body of work comprises over 150 publications across different formats. She also has several research projects to her credit supported by organisations such as DST and Panjab University-Cambridge University. She has served on the Central Panel Jury for the 66th National Film Awards and on the governing bodies of various organisations, such as IIMC New Delhi and FTII Pune. She continues to be on the academic and administrative boards of several central and state universities. Prof Singh commenced her journalism career in 1986 and explored various areas of mass communication practice before transitioning to teaching in 1997. She has her Master's degree from BHU and a PhD from AJK MCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia.

My principal motivation for writing this book is our situation today: We stand on the precipice of a new era, where the convergence of artificial and human intelligence has altered the landscape of communication in profound ways. This interaction between human and machine learning models has far-reaching implications that are destined to reshape the dynamics of human expression forever. It is crucial to preserve the record of the last two decades of social media activity as a significant cultural stage, because the advent of the multiverse has the potential to irrevocably redefine public engagement. The timeline studied in this book is the period spanning 2012 to 2022. Two prominent case studies on the Twitter platform, the Nirbhaya rape case and the Farmers' agitation serve as testimonies to the initial levels of public participation. The concerns that weigh upon me today shall undoubtedly resonate with future generations; a resonance magnified manifold.