Big Data Analysis of the #BringBackOurGirls Cyber-Campaign

Abstract

We used a web tool to extract Twitter API data on the #BringBackOurGirls campaign. The Twitter hashtag was used for a campaign denouncing the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, Nigeria on the 14th of April 2014 by the Jihadist group Boko Haram. The data extracted covered the period spanning from the creation of the campaign (19th of May 2014) to the 16th of May 2019. The data were anonymous because they were provided in aggregate form, covering things such as: the number, content, and chronology of tweets; information on geographical area; the relevance of the users making comments; information on followers; the impact of tweets; ‘likes’; re-tweets; demographic profiles (gender); keyword information. These indications were provided in the form of mass, open data by Twitter’s API. The data was ordered and analysed by the research team during the course of the qualitative study to shed light on the cyber-campaign.