ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Commun.
Sec. Culture and Communication
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcomm.2025.1648587
Social Media as a Platform for Resistance: Examining the Language of Dissent in Indian Society
Provisionally accepted
- NMAM Institute of Technology, Nitte, Karnataka, India
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Social media plays a crucial role in present-day resistance movements by amplifying marginalized voices, fostering global solidarity, and challenging hegemonic narratives. Despite its impact, research on algorithmic biases, multimodal communication tools (like memes and hashtags), and linguistic strategies in digital activism is limited. This study investigates how activists use digital tools and language to engage audiences and navigate platform restrictions. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research analyses 5,000 posts from Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, selected through stratified sampling for diverse representation. The dataset is refined with Natural Language Processing tools, supported by discourse and sentiment analysis. Interviews with activists reveal practical strategies and challenges they encounter. Findings show activists often use code-switching, viral hashtags, and visual content, especially on Twitter, which is most effective for political causes. However, algorithmic filtering limits the visibility of politically sensitive content, and language varies across regions due to local influences. Most posts convey neutral or negative sentiments, highlighting the urgent nature of resistance efforts. These insights suggest implications for better content moderation, algorithmic transparency, and equitable access for underrepresented communities.
Keywords: Social Media Activism, digital resistance, Linguistic strategies, Hashtag Activism, online censorship, political communication
Received: 17 Jun 2025; Accepted: 25 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 D Y, vishwantha and R P. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Ashwini D Y, ashwini.dy@nitte.edu.in
vishwantha vishwantha, vishwanatha123@nitte.edu.in
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