From Tahrir Square to Nepal: The Power of Social Media in Shaping Protests

The Global Rise of Hashtag Activism: The Nepal Protest by Gen Z Is The Most Recent Addition To The Role of Social Media in Shaping Protests

With over 5 billion users globally, social media, in various forms, such as Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram, have become a fundamental part of our daily lives. From connecting people, sharing information, to expressing voices, the last two decades have been transformative, as social media, in many aspects, has played a catalyst’s role in bringing about societal changes. 

A protest or movement may start from a single source, but its impact is always determined by its vastness or ‘reach’ in modern parlance. As social media provides a virtual meeting place, activists and advocates worldwide are using platforms to raise awareness about societal issues.

The Changing Face of Protest Communication

There was a time when revolutions used to spread through underground pamphlets; now, they operate on social media platforms. From the Tahrir Square uprising to the most recent Gen Z-led protests in Nepal, social media has thoroughly redefined the way protests are organized and communicated. What took months of extensive preparation in earlier days can be coordinated in minutes using a smartphone and a hashtag.

Slogans were once written on walls across the streets; now they trend on social media feeds. This era of digital media has seen memes replace posters and viral videos outperform press conferences. 

By leveraging social media’s accessibility, a youth in rural India can get an hourly update of a protest in Egypt’s Tahrir Square. Beyond information sharing, social media has become a tool for shaping opinion by assembling like-minded people across the globe.

Protests That Inspire

The most famous digital protests in recent years, the Black Lives Matter movement and the Me Too Movement, allowed the general public to share their own experiences of racial discrimination and harassment. 

The phrase ‘Me Too’ was coined by Tarana Burke in 2006. Still, almost 11 years later, Alyssa Milano shared her experience on Twitter (now X) using the hashtag, which eventually went viral as women shared their stories of inappropriate actions faced in the workplace. Within a year of Milano’s tweet, ‘Me Too’ was used over 19 million times across social media platforms.

Social media became a safe and supportive space for speaking out against inappropriate behavior by high-profile men, energizing a movement.

The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter acted as a symbol of resistance and solidarity, not only in the US but across the globe. The sufferers shared the experience of police brutality and discrimination on social media, which the mainstream media had ignored for years.

Hashtags like EndSARS (in Nigeria) and DalitLivesMatter (in India) gained prominence following the Black Lives Matter movement.

The recent addition to the list of social media’s power is the development of the interim government in Nepal, where Gen Z conducted online polls on the chat portal Discord to appoint the first female prime minister, Sushila Karki. From a social media ban to deadly protests, Nepal has consistently been in the headlines of international media, receiving support from youths across the globe. 

Egypt’s Tahrir Square will always act as a pioneer in shifting the medium of protest. It was not restricted to the people facing decades of autocratic rule; millions of people became vocal on Facebook through pages like “We Are All Khaled Said”, with Twitter providing real-time updates, shaping opinions. The world witnessed a new form of protest that was not confined to a single state or nation. The protest became visible, viral, and most importantly, global.

Social Media, The Double-Edged Sword 

Undoubtedly, social media helps users gain new perspectives and opinions, developing and changing their own political views; however, the rapid spread of misinformation is a major drawback. In the time of haste and hurry, people do not spend energy on fact-checking; instead, the focus shifts entirely to labeling one piece of information as correct. Human psychology operates in a peculiar pattern when scrolling through these apps. The number of shares and the reach of the news often act as a fact-checking tool. Consequently, AI-generated images, fake news, and hoaxes get immediate attention from users.

Other significant challenges include online harassment and the manipulation of public discourse by state actors and interest groups.

Moreover, social media platforms seldom endorse neutrality. These commercial entities often prioritize profits over broader sociopolitical agendas, leading to the rise of ‘slacktivism’ or ‘clicktivism,’ where online engagement yields only monetary benefits, thereby sidelining real-world action. 

The dependency on algorithms can act as a double-edged sword, as viral movement can disappear from the feed the very next day.

Can Social Media Sustain Movements?

Beyond aesthetics, this shift in protest form is more strategic than ever. From decentralizing leadership to democratizing information, protests utilizing social media can adapt swiftly. Notwithstanding its drawbacks, social media provides a safe and comfortable platform for everyone and has helped spread awareness and information about ongoing national and international protests.

Undeniably, social media has drastically transformed the movements, but it can never replace human courage and support. The device or technology alone cannot take a movement forward; above all, it’s the cause that matters more.

Going forward, activists should strategically leverage social media platforms, complemented by offline efforts, to encourage long-term engagement and achieve meaningful outcomes. Companies must focus on strict fact-checking and surveillance to prevent the spread of misinformation.