Collective digital action of Egyptian academics via social networking sites: A qualitative analysis of "Egypt's Scholars Are Angry" movement

The current study examines the role of negative emotions in social media discussions of Egyptian academic labor. The main question here was about the ability of academics to convey the deteriorating academic working conditions in some sectors –especially wages' rate"- through "virtual unions/syndicates" provided by social networking sites for criticism, communication, and regulation.
The study is based on several assumptions, the most important of which is that the digital expression of anger and academic protest behavior may play a beneficial role in raising awareness of academic work issues and serve as means of deconstructing the academic hierarchies outside the official university domain. The study further hypothesizes that digitally expressing negative emotions may support the production of new networks of personal and professional relationships at the academic level in the form of identification for those in/out of academia. On the other hand, the study raises many questions about the real repercussions of "Digital Anger" at the personal and institutional levels, contributing to reshaping the individual academic identity and the collective reputation of Egyptian academics.
The results suggest that campaigns that originate, and may end, via SNS should not be considered homogeneous campaigns, but rather are formed through a group of posts, first individual posts that might, in turn, trigger a succession of conscious and responsible steps or so it is assumed. In addition, these campaigns usually include responses and interactions that may seem unrelated to the campaign itself, despite the use and inclusion of these responses, or thread of tweets, for a particular hashtag or slogan distinct to the campaign.
Results also suggest that the digital collective academic presence is a continuous process of trial and error. As such, it still requires much balancing between the flow of feelings, and attitudes either negatively or positively, and the belief that this presence ensures an open academic network that will support its community.