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Cited by 281Social Media and PoliticsMisinformation and Its ImpactsPopulism, Right-Wing Movements

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 53 of the 54 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

False equivalencies: Online activism from left to right

Freelon, Deen, Marwick, Alice, Kreiss, Daniel·2020·Science
DOI 10.1126/science.abb2428
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Abstract

Digital media are critical for contemporary activism—even low-effort “clicktivism” is politically consequential and contributes to offline participation. We argue that in the United States and throughout the industrialized West, left- and right-wing activists use digital and legacy media differently to achieve political goals. Although left-wing actors operate primarily through “hashtag activism” and offline protest, right-wing activists manipulate legacy media, migrate to alternative platforms, and work strategically with partisan media to spread their messages. Although scholarship suggests that the right has embraced strategic disinformation and conspiracy theories more than the left, more research is needed to reveal the magnitude and character of left-wing disinformation. Such ideological asymmetries between left- and right-wing activism hold critical implications for democratic practice, social media governance, and the interdisciplinary study of digital politics.

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. C. Tilly L. J. Wood Social Movements 1768–2012 (Routledge 2013).
  2. C. Sunstein Republic.com 2.0 (Princeton Univ. Press 2007).

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Metadata

Authors
Freelon, D., Marwick, A., & Kreiss, D.
Affiliations
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
Corresponding author
Freelon, Deen
ORCID
Venue
Science
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Published
2020-09-04
Volume
369
Issue
6508
Pages
1197-1201
ISSN
  • 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
  • 1095-9203
DOI
10.1126/science.abb2428
OpenAlex
W3082093598
Cited by
281
References
54
Citations by year
2026: 29 · 2025: 52 · 2024: 55 · 2023: 43 · 2022: 64 · 2021: 37 · 2020: 1
FWCI
12.68
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Communication › Social Media and Politics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Misinformation and Its Impacts
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Populism, Right-Wing Movements
Keywords
digital activism, clicktivism, hashtag activism, left-wing activism, right-wing activism, disinformation, conspiracy theories, traditional media, partisan media, ideological asymmetry, social media governance, internet and politics

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