Online conflict may strengthen, not weaken, social movements, researchers find

New research from McGill University challenges the notion that online conflict weakens social movements. According to scientists, heated debates on social media can actually strengthen collective action. Study lead author Emmanuelle Vaast, an information systems professor, explains that the same dynamics that generate conflict also allow millions of strangers to connect over shared stories and act together.

This finding helps to explain how a solitary school strike can quickly expand into a worldwide movement. The study, conducted alongside colleagues from Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts, analyzed social media activity surrounding the 2019 climate strikes led by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. Through careful examination of 1.9 million Twitter messages from April to September 2019, the researchers identified three key phases in the movement's development.

First, movements discovered each other's issues. Second, conversations became tangled and contentious. Finally, participants converged on shared goals and took joint action. Contrary to popular belief, conflict did not weaken the movement. Instead, cooperation and disagreement evolved side by side, like the two strands of a DNA helix, helping to shape a unified agenda.

Previous studies tended to view online conflict as a threat to collective action, but this research demonstrates that it plays a crucial role in fostering collaboration among diverse causes. While social media platforms have evolved since the study period, the authors note that recommendation algorithms, which now prioritize user attention, can actually expedite discovery of new causes.

Platforms like TikTok can surface social issues to users who never sought them out. As such, the 2019 climate strikes remain a valuable benchmark for understanding how today's algorithm-driven social media environment continues to facilitate movement building.