Week 5: Digital Citizenship and Hashtag Activism: Power, Platforms, and Participation
What does it mean to be a citizen in the digital age? In traditional terms, citizenship involves rights and responsibilities within a nation. But in the online world, the concept expands to include participation, activism, and engagement through digital platforms.
This week, we explore digital citizenship, the power of hashtags, and how social media has transformed political engagement. From movements like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter to election campaigns and online petitions, digital activism has reshaped how individuals participate in society. However, this shift also raises important questions about platform control, accessibility, and the risks of digital surveillance.
What is Digital Citizenship?
Digital citizenship refers to how individuals engage with online platforms in responsible, informed, and ethical ways. It includes:
✅ Using digital technologies for communication, learning, and creativity.
✅ Participating in political, social, and cultural discussions.
✅ Navigating digital spaces with awareness of privacy, safety, and misinformation.
According to the Council of Europe (2022), digital citizenship is a lifelong process involving formal and informal learning while defending human dignity in online spaces.
However, digital citizenship is not just about individual behavior—it is shaped by platforms, algorithms, and corporate policies (McCosker, Vivienne & Johns 2016). This leads to the study of platformization, a concept that explores how digital platforms shape our interactions and limit or expand our agency.
The Rise of Hashtag Publics
Hashtags are more than just keywords—they are powerful tools for activism. They create “hashtag publics," which are online communities that form around specific issues or movements (Goswami, 2018).
📌 How Hashtags Create Movements
#MeToo – Sparked a global conversation about sexual harassment and gender inequality.
#BlackLivesMatter – Mobilized protests and political action against systemic racism.
#OscarsSoWhite – Exposed racial inequality in Hollywood’s award system.
#StandWithUkraine – Generated global awareness and support for Ukraine during the war.
These hashtags facilitate connection, coordination, and visibility. They also challenge mainstream media narratives, allowing marginalized voices to be heard.
(Zappavigna, 2012) describes hashtags as linguistic markers that create ambient affiliation, meaning they connect people even if they have never met. This sense of belonging and purpose is crucial for digital activism.
Political Engagement in the Digital Age
Traditional political engagement involved voting, party membership, and activism through unions or organizations. However, this has changed significantly with the rise of social media.
According to Vromen (2017), there has been a decline in long-term political affiliations and an increase in issue-based activism. People now engage in politics through:
📢 Signing petitions on platforms like Change.org.
📢 Sharing or commenting on political content.
📢 Contacting public officials via social media.
📢 Following and engaging with political figures online.
However, there is an ongoing debate: Does social media activism lead to real change, or is it just “clicktivism” (passive online participation)?
A study by Theocharis et al. (2023) found that while many engage in low-effort political actions (e.g., liking or sharing a post), others mobilize, protest, and take offline action as a result of online discussions.
The Power and Limits of Platforms
Although social media empowers users, platforms themselves are not neutral. The concept of platformization (Poell, Nieborg & van Dijck, 2019) explains how platforms:
🔹 Control visibility through algorithms (deciding what content users see).
🔹 Shape discourse by enforcing content moderation and banning accounts.
🔹 Monetize activism, turning social movements into advertising opportunities.
For example, during the 2016 U.S. election, Donald Trump’s “authentic” and unfiltered use of Twitter contrasted with Hillary Clinton’s professionalized campaign (Enli 2017). This reflects a shift in political communication, where personal branding on social media can be more effective than traditional advertising.
At the same time, platforms are businesses first—they profit from engagement, even if it spreads misinformation or hate speech. This raises concerns about corporate control over public discourse.
Digital citizenship extends beyond personal responsibility—it is deeply connected to platform dynamics, political engagement, and activism. Hashtags have proven to be powerful tools for social change, but they also exist within a system where platforms control access and visibility.
The challenge is to navigate these digital spaces critically, ensuring that online activism leads to real-world impact while remaining aware of corporate influence and digital surveillance.
🔹 What do you think? Do hashtags create real political change, or are they just a trend? Join the discussion in the comments!
📌 Hashtags: #MDA20009 #DigitalCitizenship #HashtagActivism #SocialMediaPolitics
DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION HANDBOOK what children say? What teachers say? What parents say? (2022). https://rm.coe.int/16809382f9.
Goswami, M. P. (2018, July 27). Social media and hashtag activism. ResearchGate; Kanishka Publisher. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326655352_Social_Media_and_Hashtag_Activism
Lübke, S. (n.d.). Authenticity in political communication: Conceptualization, measurement, and examination of a popular concept. https://www.db-thueringen.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/dbt_derivate_00057586/Dissertation_SimonLuebke.pdf
McCosker, A., Vivienne, S., & Johns, A. (2016, October 12). Negotiating digital citizenship: Control, contest, culture. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312491876_Negotiating_Digital_Citizenship_Control_Contest_Culture
Murschetz, P. C. (2020). Political engagement of individuals in the digital age. Handbook of Communication for Development and Social Change, 633–646. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-2014-3_85
Poell, T., Nieborg, D., & van Dijck, J. (2019). Platformisation. Internet Policy Review, 8(4), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.14763/2019.4.1425
Vromen, A. (2017). Digital citizenship and political engagement. Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-48865-7
Zappavigna, M. (2012). Discourse of twitter and social media. In Continuum International Publishing Group eBooks. Continuum International Publishing Group. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781472541642