The role of hashtags in Social Networks: The case of social mobilization in Greece

This article examines the role of hashtags in Social Networks during periods of social mobilization. Although such platforms have been used in the past to organize demonstrations, in recent years, citizens' response to the invitation to participate in demonstrations through hashtags is much greater. The base of the theoretical study is the theory of the network society, developed by the Spanish sociologist Manuel Castells. Our research focuses on the use of hashtags on Twitter during four periods of protests in Greece. In this context, we analyzed more than 4.000 tweets at the content and user level, to identify developing trends and attitudes. The article argues that technology revolutionized social movements in Greece, as Twitter was used to mobilize and organize protest activities and as a means of political communication among users.