From conversations to action: Examining how civic message framing on X spaces facilitated mobilization during the Gen Z-led 2024 protests in Kenya

Abstract

Social movements are rapidly becoming a global phenomenon, particularly among younger demographics commonlyknown as digital natives, who are eager for social change. In many of these movements, social media serves as thecommon platform that enables mobilization, often leading to protests that produce meaningful outcomes andcontribute to the strengthening of democratic freedoms. A scholarly consensus has emerged that social media platforms such as X play a key role in this regard. In light of this understanding, the study examined how the framing of civic messages on X Spaces contributed to mobilization during the Gen Z-led 2024 protests in Kenya, focusing on the collective action frames of diagnostic, prognostic, and motivational framing. While previous studies have examined the use of these frames in various global contexts of protest mobilization, there remains a scholarly gap in understanding how they were applied to the Gen Z-led protests in Kenya, thus necessitating this study. Guided by framing theory, the study employed a qualitative research design that utilized content analysis. Eight X Space recordings were purposively selected in line with the study’s inclusion criteria. Data was analyzed thematically, with findings presented in a narrative form. The findings revealed that the message framing techniques employed in the X Space discussions helped construct a rhetoric that effectively resonated with participants, thereby contributing to their mobilization for the protests. The study recommended the need for tolerance of diverse opinions within social movements, as intolerance towards differing views undermines democratic ideals, promotes internal polarization, and weakens the movement’s unity, thereby increasing its susceptibility to co-option, as was the case with the Gen Z movement