X converges with activism in ‘Beyond the Hashtag’ by Archana R Singh

We stand on the precipice of a new era, where the convergence of the artificial and the human era has altered the landscape of communication in profound ways. Archana R Singh’s book, ‘Beyond the Hashtag: A Decade of Twitter Activism in India’, seeks to take a deeper look at today’s ever-evolving social media landscape.

It examines two collective actions set apart by nearly a decade. The work 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 individuals, journalists, and news organisations has been systematically collected, collated and discussed here. The book offers insights into how social media can be leveraged for effective collective action, and therein lies the strength of the work.

It has practical implications for activists and policymakers alike and can inform the development of policies and strategies for social movements and activism.

Archana Singh’s book also caters to scholars and students of mass communication, journalism, new media, social media, computer-mediated communication, sociology, political science and law.