Digital Movement of Opinion

This entry contributes to the theory of digital movements of opinion (DMO), those relatively new social forces with potentially large political impact that take place on the social media platforms and combine the theoretical properties of public opinion and collective action, the logic of which is usually associated with social movements. Typically amplified by a normative hashtag (such as #RefugeesWelcome, #JeSuisCharlie and #MeToo), and characterized by one-sided content and user heterogeneity, a DMO operates as a wave of support or opposition, often reflecting sentiments of empathy or, conversely, indignation over a focusing event and the actors involved. As such, it tends to monopolize the public voice on that given issue, at least for a relatively short period of time. The theory is complemented by an overview of the research methods needed to capture, through a mix of quantitative and ethnographic approaches, the actual unfolding of a DMO in the digital public space.