The role of Twitter in accelerating engagement in alternative communicative spaces

The newly emerging communicative spaces on the Internet are vital to the research of power relations in society. The present text discovers how these relations are being challenged by engagement in alternative communicative spaces. More specifically, how Twitter is being used for accelerating this engagement. It highlights the activities of the Internet users who have been confronted with borders, limitations and even repressive and undemocratic environment. With the mixed method approach, we have gathered the quali- and quantitative data which uncovered the four dimensions of their engagement in alternative communicative spaces: 1) representation of opinions and information, 2) acquiring attention and consideration, 3) finding allies and engaging with influencers, 4) activation of community.Novi komunikacijski prostori na internetu igrajo ključno vlogo pri raziskovanju razmerij moči v družbi. Pričujoče besedilo odkriva, kako se uporabniki lotevajo spreminjanja teh odnosov v alternativnih komunikacijskih prostorih, in še posebej, kako uporabljajo Twitter za spodbujanje sodelovanja v teh prostorih. Izpostavljeni so primeri posameznikov, ki so bili soočeni z mejami, omejitvami ter celo z represijo in nedemokratičnim okoljem. Z analizo vsebine, intervjujev in anket smo zbrali kvalitativne in kvantitativne podatke, ki razkrivajo štiri razsežnosti njihovih prizadevanj za opolnomočenje, povezanih z alternativnimi komunikacijskimi prostori: 1) predstavitev mnenj in informacij, 2) pridobivanje pozornosti in spodbujanje k refleksiji, 3) iskanje zaveznikov ter 4) aktiviranje skupnosti