#NeverAgain walkouts spark half a million social media posts in 24 hours 

Hundreds of students from Miami Country Day, a private school in Miami Shores, Fla., take to the streets in the national students walkout protesting gun violence and honoring the 17 students and teachers that were killed last month at Marjory Stone Douglas High School on Wednesday, March. 14, 2018. AP PHOTO

NEW YORK — When students at thousands of schools across the country walked out of class Wednesday to protest gun violence, social media took notice, according to social media analytics firm Talkwalker.

The unprecedented event had young Americans taking control of their future, according to supporters, as the students realize the influence their generation can have.

In the last 24 hours, and as of 2 p.m. EDT,  there have been approximately 566.7K mentions of the student walkout on social media, Talkwalker reported.

The top two tweets with the most engagement are:

Cameron Kasky, student organizer: https://twitter.com/cameron_kasky/status/973893984572657665

– 39.7K engagements

It’s been one month. The world hasn’t forgotten those we’ve lost and those who have had to fight for their lives in the hospital. This isn’t ‘just another’ mass shooting like the NRA wants it to be. This is different. We’ve made a promise. The world is changing. #NeverAgain

Actor Chris Evans: https://twitter.com/ChrisEvans/status/973944438643937280

– 41.7K engagements

The young people of this generation give me so much hope. Are u listening @GOP? Time for gun laws to change. And for you 2A-ers, relax, no one is saying you cant own a gun, your right to ‘bear arms shall not be infringed’. Just looking for common sense reform! #NationalWalkoutDay

Students are utilizing mostly three hashtags to share messaging:

1. #NationalWalkoutDay – 369.9K mentions
2. #NeverAgain – 174K mentions
3. #Enough – 44.5K mentions

The main themes of these conversations include language like “peacefully protesting,” “forever changed,” and “silently protest.“