Modelling Social Mobilisation – An interdisciplinary exploration of Twitter as a mediating tool for social acts and information networks

Abstract

In recent years, researchers, social commentators and the mass media have turned their attention to shifts in the use of social media for political and social action. This article provides an overview of the recent discussions focusing on how Twitter specifically functions as a mediating tool for social acts. We present findings from a recent pilot project exploring the mechanics of disseminating information via Twitter across a dynamic human network in order to contribute to an understanding of how people use social media to share information and prompt others into action, and outline some approaches for performing this analysis. Taking the perspective of communities of users operating in hybrid spaces, we make recommendations for further research in this field. Key words: Twitter, hybrid spaces, social networks, social acts, information flow