From Patriotism to Transnationalism

Exploring Hashtag Narratives on Lithium Mining Protests in Serbia

Bibliographic Data

ID11048089
AuthorsIvana Stepanović (0000-0002-8953-6703, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume53
Issue4
Pages755-776
Publication date2025-07-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueNationalities Papers (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-5992 • E-ISSN: 1465-3923
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/nps.2024.48
OpenAlexW4403482830
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited46

By examining social media interactions, the analysis that is presented in this article reveals how hashtags are adeptly used to reframe the lithium mining issue, embedding it within wider narratives. The article investigates narratives surrounding lithium mining protests in Serbia, using digital ethnography and narrative analysis to study the discourse of ecology activists on the social platform X (formerly known as Twitter). It illuminates the fluid, rhizomatic, and puzzle-like nature of hashtags that helps to achieve online visibility, mobilize audiences for street protests, and appear as narrative building blocks. Hashtags operate as algorithmic signifiers that create additional layers of meaning and fine-tune narratives toward either the left or right side of the political spectrum. This article focuses on how activists use hashtags not just as tools for categorizing content but also as essential components in shaping their narratives. This approach reveals the dynamic engagement of a broad political spectrum in the lithium mining debate, forging connections between different actors. The analysis demonstrates how interconnected hashtags modulate the narratives so that they can transgress from the right to the left side of the political spectrum, indicating that lithium mining is a global rather than a local problem

Art · Literature · Lithium (medication · Narrative · Patriotism · Political science · Politics · Transnationalism · Law · Media Studies and Communication · Psychology · Public Relations and Crisis Communication · Social Media and Politics

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