The Euromaidan Protests and Social Media

Bruce Etling, Harvard University Berkman Center for Internet & Society has published Russia, Ukraine, and the West: Social Media Sentiment in the Euromaidan Protests as Berkman Center Research Publication No. 2014-13. Here is the abstract.

This paper investigates sentiment in the online conversation about the Ukrainian Euromaidan protests across a range of English- and Russian-language social and traditional media sources. Results from this exploratory research show more support for the Euromaidan protests in Russian-language sources, including among sources and users based in Russia, than originally expected. Sentiment in English-language sources, including those located in the United States and United Kingdom, is more negative than anticipated given the rhetorical support among western governments for the Euromaidan protests. However, social media content in Ukraine, the US, and the UK is more positive than traditional media outlets in those countries.

Download the paper from SSRN at the link.