Twitter y el activismo por la discapacidad: liderazgo y temas relevantes en la conversación en red

This study analyses Twitter-based digital activism related to disability, focusing on leadership and key discussion topics during the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3 December 2022). A dataset of 18,889 tweets containing the hashtag #discapacidad was collected over a two-week period surrounding the event. Social network analysis was conducted using Gephi and the Force Atlas 2 algorithm to identify weighted mention networks and cluster communities via the Louvain method. Findings reveal a highly dispersed network comprising 748 communities, of which 18 exceeded the 1% node threshold. Leadership was predominantly exercised by female disability activists, including Eva Nasarre, alongside institutional actors such as Fundación ONCE. Although the Pope’s tweet was the most retweeted, the majority of influential voices were directly engaged in disability rights advocacy. Thematic analysis highlighted institutional and political support from Latin America, advocacy for accessibility and public aid, and a strong presence of gender-focused activism. Despite significant visibility, conversations tended to centralise around a few key figures rather than fostering broad dialogue. This study contributes to understanding how digital platforms function as arenas for disability activism, leadership emergence, and agenda-setting, while also reflecting on limitations such as digital divide and event-centred engagement.