Social Media and Cross-Border Political Participation: A Case Study of Kyrgyz Migrants’ Online Activism

In an attempt to address the debate among social science scholars regarding whether or not online political engagement is a legitimate form of participation, this study investigates conditions under which migrants engage politically with virtual communities, and when how participation spills over real-world mobilization. The case Kyrgyz migrants’ activism in media groups pages on Facebook its Russian equivalents VKontakte Odnoklassniki demonstrates that, although are likely routinely participate in, initiate, continuously conversations these platforms, crisis conditions, such as October revolution 2020, first COVID wave summer that same year, Kyrgyz–Tajik border conflict April–May 2021, trigger bursts carry fundraising protest