ABSTRACT
In a developed city like Hong Kong with high Internet penetration and with a mass media landscape which has long been criticized for being pro-establishment, social media constitute the major alternative source for the citizens, especially young people, to follow current affairs and to have public discussion. Online alternative media, which promote political activism, are also popular in the realm of social media. This chapter, drawing upon secondary data from available surveys, examines the impact of social media on social mobilization. The role of social media in cultivating political activism and support for radical protest, as well as that of facilitating self-mobilized actions are discussed. Meanwhile, we shall also look into the antagonistic, and under certain circumstances complementary, relationship between mass media and social media in social mobilization.
