Inflexions of Diaspora across Two Social Media Protests #FeesMustFall and #Jallikattu

What is it about?

Social media has changed the way people living outside their home countries (diasporas) engage with protests back home. However, we still do not fully understand why some movements receive strong support from their global communities while others do not. This study looks at two major protests: #FeesMustFall in South Africa, which called for free education and curriculum changes, and #Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu, India, which aimed to protect a traditional cultural practice. While Tamils around the world actively supported the #Jallikattu protests, South Africans living abroad showed much less engagement with #FeesMustFall. By analyzing social media posts from Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, this study finds that protests connected to cultural identity receive more global support than those focused mainly on policy changes. This suggests that the way a movement is framed—whether it appeals to identity and tradition or focuses on policy—plays a key role in attracting diaspora involvement. The study highlights the need for activists and policymakers to use identity-based strategies when mobilizing diasporas for social and political causes.

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