Book Launch: “Twitter Activism in Iran: Social Media and Democracy in Authoritarian Regimes” (Palgrave, 2025)

Abstract

“Twitter Activism in Iran: Social Media and Democracy in Authoritarian Regimes” (Palgrave, 2025) Presenter: Dr. Hossein Kermani (Department of Communication, University of Vienna) Discussant: Dr. Gi Yeon Koo (Seoul National University Asia Center) Book Abstract: This book investigates Twitter activism in authoritarian regimes, with particular attention to Iran. Twitter in Iran has been blocked since the 2009 presidential election and its subsequent protests, the Green Movement. Nevertheless, Iranians have been continually using it to date. Recently, another significant hashtag movement unfolded in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini. But it is only an instance of how Iranians employ Twitter to fight a dictatorship. Given the unique context of Iran as a non-democratic society with a high number of Twitter users, this book tries to explore how Iranian users participate in politics, challenge the regime, mobilize their protests, and shape anti-regime discourses. It also examines the strategies that the Iranian regime takes to dismantle Twitter activism. Find further information on the book here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-81538-6