Digital protest and transnational mediation: exploring key mediators and narratives in the #StepDownHasina hashtivism in social media

Social media and mediators have influenced social movements worldwide in recent years, forming networks of connected and concerned public. Likewise, the Facebook-based Quota Reform Movement of 2024 in Bangladesh escalated into a mass movement that ultimately ended Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League’s decade-long “one-party” rule. The #StepDownHasina hashtag became central to the protests, creating a vast network of like-minded individuals rallying around a shared cause. This study, relying on the concepts of networked publics, hashtivism, and social movements, investigates who the key mediators were, their locations, and the narratives they promoted during the movement. We analyzed 9,727 Facebook posts using content and geospatial analyses combined with BERTopic modeling. We identified four key mediators – political entities, persons, communities, and media – who played pivotal roles in amplifying the movement, with political mediators incredibly influential. The Bangladeshi diaspora, spanning 39 countries, alongside exiled political figures, further propelled this transnational mediation. The dominant narratives condemned government oppression, praised protesters, and boosted morale. We suggest selective mediation may promote echo chambers within social movements, marginalizing diverse voices.