Tweeting Solidarity Across Borders: A Social Network Analysis of pro-Palestinian Activism

This research seeks to identify influential online actors on X and study the thematic narratives in the digital public sphere, with a specific focus on communications pertaining to Palestinian protests. In challenging the mainstream narratives propagated by traditional media outlets in some Western countries, the global proliferation of digital media has facilitated the empowerment of underrepresented groups during the Gaza war in 2023. Against this backdrop, this research paper examines the role of X (formerly Twitter) in shaping the digital public sphere during the transnational pro-Palestine protests. The significance of the study lies in understanding the power of digital media in echoing the voices of influential online actors who diffuse information, document events, organize protests, and foster global solidarity for Palestine. Using a mixed-methodological approach, this research quantitatively examines 11,351 X posts that contain keywords relating to pro-Palestine protests, which were extracted using NodeXL Pro. Additionally, it qualitatively analyzes the content shared by the top 30 influencers. The results indicate that some traditional media organizations extend their roles as influencers into the digital environment. However, several activists and concerned citizens from diverse nationalities also actively shape narratives and positively portray the pro-Palestine protests.