Social Media and Protest Information: A Case Study of Facebook

Abstract

The role of social media in Pakistan has become a favorite domain for researchers in media. In this study, it has been explored that how Facebook is being used as a tool for acquiring protest information.Pakistan, as a country with toppling democracies, religious extremism,sectarian hatred, and a flawed judicial system, has seen many protests to date. Often these protests take the shape of riots or are on the verge of leading to riots. At such a stage, the government, in an attempt to cool down the situation, restricts the media organizations from giving coverage to such protests and riots. This study aims to find the use of Facebook by people as an alternative to acquire protest information.To see how Facebook is replacing mainstream media in case of protest information.