Abstract

This study examines the impact of leveraging specific hashtags regarding a series of social movements by news media on the level of sharing of their news by users. As a preliminary analysis, I collected panel data related to a series of social movements associated with Donald Trump’s candidacy/presidency in the USA from news media pages on Facebook. I analyzed the data using a difference model estimated by ordinary least squares approach. Preliminary Results show leveraging hashtags in the coverage of social movements is likely to decrease the sharing level of online news on Facebook. This research can provide useful insights for news media and is promising for further developments.

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Hashtagivism: Making Online News Great Again?

This study examines the impact of leveraging specific hashtags regarding a series of social movements by news media on the level of sharing of their news by users. As a preliminary analysis, I collected panel data related to a series of social movements associated with Donald Trump’s candidacy/presidency in the USA from news media pages on Facebook. I analyzed the data using a difference model estimated by ordinary least squares approach. Preliminary Results show leveraging hashtags in the coverage of social movements is likely to decrease the sharing level of online news on Facebook. This research can provide useful insights for news media and is promising for further developments.