Political Microblogging: A Case Study of Twitter in the ‘Shahbag Movement’

While debates ensue over the role of New Media and social networks in the Arab Spring, the sudden surge in online participation has been noticeably evident, with Twitter, alongside Facebook and blogs, gaining spotlight as a tool that contributed to the momentum of events. In countries where Twitter has been introduced, agitated citizens expressed, shared, and disseminated their sentiments into web space by Twitter. Leo Mirani, one of the scholars, mentions that it is wrong to rule out the possibility of Twitter spreading information and, thereby, contributing to the creation and sustenance of movements (Mirani, 2010). Therefore, in order to further explore the role of Twitter within people-led political protests, especially in societies with a growing economy and a fledgling democracy, this research was initiated. The Shahbag Movement of Bangladesh was taken as a case for study because of the contemporariness of the issue, which was initiated in early February 2013. This movement was to ensure a free and fair trial of the people accused of crimes against humanity during Bangladesh’s liberation war in 1971. Online activists, mainly through blogs and Facebook, initially organized the Shahbag Movement and later, Twitter came into the scene (BBC News Editor, 2013).