Social Media and the Dynamics of Protests

This paper provides quantitative evidence on the heterogeneous effects of social media on protest dynamics. On the one hand, social media enables the development of online communities of protesters that keep movements alive. On the other hand, social media is fertile ground for political polarization and radicalization. Using data from the 2018-2019 Yellow Vest uprising in France, we show that local street protests triggered the creation of large communities of protesters on Facebook. However, these communities progressively became more antagonistic, negative, and ideologically segregated. While moderate discussants left the discussions, those who remained radicalized. Facebook’s recommender algorithm likely contributed to this pattern by consistently showcasing radical content.