Social Media Activism and Genetically Modified Organisms: A Systematic Review
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This study systematically reviewed scholarship on social media activism and genetically modified organism (GMO) discourse, with emphasis on publication trends, theoretical and methodological approaches, actors and platforms, activist strategies, and dominant frames and narratives. A qualitative systematic review design was adopted, guided by the PRISMA 2020 framework and thematic synthesis. Literature was retrieved from Scopus, Web of Science, Communication & Mass Media Complete, ScienceDirect, African Journals Online, and Google Scholar. Following screening and eligibility assessment, 43 studies were included in the review. The findings indicate an emerging but uneven body of scholarship, characterised by fragmented theoretical perspectives and a predominance of descriptive, cross-sectional designs. Social-media discourse increasingly involves networked actors, including activists, opinion leaders, civil-society organisations, scientists, regulators and individual users, with X/Twitter receiving substantial scholarly attention. Reported activist strategies include information dissemination, counter-framing, influencer communication, engagement and narrative amplification. Seven major frames emerged: food security and agricultural productivity; health and food safety; environmental risk; science, expertise and trust; corporate control and food sovereignty; regulation and consumer rights; and misinformation, disinformation and polarisation. The review concludes that GMO communication research especially in Sub-Saharan Africa requires greater theoretical integration, mixed-method designs, and broader multi-platform analysis to explain how digital discourse shapes public engagement and perceptions.
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