Understandings of culture in digital space: Mapping Twitter discourses on culture

Abstract

This chapter delves into the various understandings of culture as expressed by individuals and institutions across Europe on online platforms, specifically Twitter. It investigates national differences and similarities in cultural discourse on Twitter across nine European countries. The features of this platform facilitate the emergence of stories rooted in personal experiences and opinions, rendering it a highly relevant source for exploring the multifaceted understandings of culture from a grassroots perspective. The study analyses a corpus of 366, 221 tweets containing the keyword “culture” using topic modelling to discern patterns and themes in the discourse. The results show pronounced cross-national differences in how culture is conceptualised and discussed on Twitter. Despite these differences, eight overarching themes emerge, reflecting topics of discourse prevalent across diverse European contexts. Moreover, the study points to the enhanced visibility of politically charged discussions surrounding culture on Twitter, suggesting a growing intertwinement of culture and politics within online discourse.