The next revolution, it was said, would be on the social networks. And that’s how it started. ‘Occupy Wall Street’ was kickstarted by a Tweet and its popularity increased through Facebook. ‘Occupy’ has since generated a lot of responses on Facebook. In addition to the Occupy Facebook page, more than 400 unique pages have been created that has spread the movement across the US. These Facebook pages have encouraged locals to camp at their city’s financial hubs to oppose the economic and political system, write Neal Caren and Sarah Garby of the University of North Carolina. The researchers deduce that Occupy groups have recruited over 170,000 Facebook users and more than 1.4 million “likes” in support of these Occupations. The Facebook groups have been encouraging group members to swap stories and share data. While the focus of ‘Occupy Wall Street’ is on mobilising individuals offline, online activities greatly facilitate these efforts.

Title: Occupy Online: Facebook and the Spread of Occupy Wall Street

Source: Social Science Resarch Network