What do trending topics tell us about collectively orchestrated political action?

Abstract

The objective of this article is to understand the dynamics concerning political actions, carried out through hashtags on Twitter. Its main goal is to determine if the monitoring of trending topics can help to identify moments of acute political tension. Based on an analysis of rank flows, the main hypothesis raised by this investigation is that, as indications of online public opinion, trends can operate as a thermometer of the climate of opinion in networks. In addition, it is possible to note, through the use of hashtags as markers of support and disarray, the use of astroturfing tactics to achieve visibility and repercussion on social media. The study undertook a systematic collection of the main trends in Brazil, between January and July 2019, to evaluate strategies related to the competitive capacity of these groups.

collective actions; Twitter; digital methods; analysis of rank flows; astroturfing