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Tweeting the Russian protests
This paper discusses the interaction between social media and the Russian 2011- 2013 protests. First, it critically observes the existing analytical work on the role of social media in movements worldwide, situating the Russian experience within this context. Sec- ondly, it examines sporadic facts and presuppositions by mapping and analysing a large num- ber of hashtags and tweets written during three protest rallies in Russia. And finally, it offers a methodological and analytical framework based on an understanding of the relationship be- tween social media and the protest movement as complex, multifaceted, and constantly evolving. This approach rejects any one-sided assessment and uses methods of continual monitoring, mapping, measurement and the analysis of a large body of evidence.