The Twitterverse of Alternative Protein: Mapping the Digital Geography of Alternative Protein Discourse.

Keywords: Food Systems, Livestock, Technology, Social Media, Digital Geography
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Tuesday
Session Start / End Time: 3/1/2022 11:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 3/1/2022 12:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 69

Abstract

In the last decade animal agriculture has received significant scrutiny for its many negative consequences, creating space for alternative approaches. These alternatives include regenerative agriculture advocates, alternative protein technology startups (and their investors), and their critics from the conventional food system. Social media has played a crucial role in this evolving discourse, particularly Twitter, which is an important media venue for investors, journalists, and political actors. Drawing on a Twitter archive spanning four years and over 300,000 tweets, this paper examines the ‘twitterverse’ of alternative protein using social network analysis, topic modeling, and other data science approaches to content analysis. We map this emerging digital geography, identify key nodes and communities, and the narratives that contribute to the popular discourses around the problems of animal agriculture and their (techno)solutions.