Web mining and democracy: the assessment of the Tunisian online activism ten years after the uprising
Document Type
Article
Source of Publication
Journal of Contemporary African Studies
Publication Date
1-1-2025
Abstract
This paper provides a comprehensive assessment of the use of social media in the aftermath of the Tunisian uprising up until December 2020. The research is based on big data analytics of posts collected on Facebook pages of the most prominent Tunisian bloggers, NGOs and activists involved in the processes of democratisation, encompassing 10 years of their activism. The data analysis reveals the patterns of activism and numbers of responses generated among the followers, shedding light on the levels of engagement juxtaposed with events occurring during democratic transition and consolidation. Subsequently, sentiment analysis of the posts made it possible to examine how the activists and their followers reacted to various events. The data ultimately show the effectiveness of social media in the processes of democratisation from the point of view of the strengthening of civil society.
DOI Link
ISSN
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Disciplines
Computer Sciences | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Keywords
Arab Spring, democratic consolidation, democratic transition, Tunisia
Scopus ID
Recommended Citation
Karolak, Magdalena; Hussain, Mohammed; and Marir, Farhi, "Web mining and democracy: the assessment of the Tunisian online activism ten years after the uprising" (2025). All Works. 7200.
https://zuscholars.zu.ac.ae/works/7200
Indexed in Scopus
yes
Open Access
no