In the current 21st century, a new phenomenon has emerged.. politics through social media. Made possible by the development of social media networks, and occurring at this new intersection between the new media and communication tools and politics, protest and anti-government movements have been transformed fundamentally and irrevocably. 

The Evolution of Political Communication

Traditionally, revolutionary movements calling for social and political change relied primarily on pamphlets, underground newspapers, and most of all word of mouth. These were the methods of rebel movements from Martin Luther’s ninety five theses nailed to the church at Wittenberg to the intercolonial newspaper network which spurred on the American revolution. Today’s anti status quo movements however are birthed and spread through very different means. Tweets, live streams, and viral posts have taken the place of the pamphlet and the newspaper and this change has in many ways transformed how political movements organize, spread their message, and maintain their momentum. In contrast to the old methods, Social media has not only changed the landscape but also provided critical advantages to modern political movements:

First, in enabling rapid and decentralized organization. Social media has allowed political movements to coordinate in real-time, adapting to changing circumstances and remaining rather difficult to circumvent. With no physical institution or entity to target outside of the actual social media networks being utilised. Second, it creates an unedited and uncontrolled channel for documenting events as they occur and applying desired narratives to such events through the technology, ie. narrative control. 

This means that participants can share their experiences directly with the world, bypassing traditional gatekeepers and most government censorship attempts. Lastly, it facilitates the growth of global solidarity networks. Movements can connect with and inform supporters worldwide, sharing their aims and strategies and receiving moral support, and international attention on their cause.

A Case Study: Social Media and the Belarus Protests

The example of this phenomenon which immediately came to mind and gave me the inspiration for this blog, were the anti-government protests which erupted in Belarus in the year 2020-2021, where the role of social media was noted as having particular influence. Therefore, the massive demonstrations of 2020-2021 Belarus, gives us a compelling case study of how digital platforms can and are shaping political resistance to authority.

Following the disputed presidential election of August 2020, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko claimed victory despite widespread allegations of fraud throughout the country. Protests emerged in response, however, what made these demonstrations particularly remarkable wasn’t simply their scale, but how social media had reshaped the very nature of political resistance in an authoritarian state. 

These protests were distinctly different from previous movements due to their sophisticated use of social media and messaging platforms. One platform in particular emerged as the primary communication tool for the opposition,Telegram: The platform’s “NEXTA” channel became the largest Belarus-focused news channel on Telegram, astonishingly reaching over 2 million subscribers in a country of just 9 million people. The platform’s encrypted chat features as well as it’s resistance to attempted internet shutdowns made it particularly valuable for opposition organization and coordination, and marked in my view an extraordinary change in the global political landscape, particularly in authoritarian countries. 

The oppositional movement, now enabled by social media, developed a more decentralized leadership, allowing Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and other opposition figures to continue coordinating from outside the country. Local Telegram channels emerged across neighborhoods and cities, keeping all those involved or wishing to get involved informed and creating a strong network which could quickly adapt to police and government tactics through real-time information sharing.

Ultimately, while the immediate protests have since subsided, the digital infrastructure and networks created during the movement remain significant. Oppositional networks continue to operate by social media, continuing the original digital communities goal of resisting the government and protesters have demonstrated a remarkable resilience and adaptability, in particular, in their use of VPNs and mesh networking apps to maintain communication when blackouts occur.

The experience of the Belarus protests then has created a blueprint for similar future movements and provides crucial insights about how such movements can operate successfully in the future. In Belarus, protesters demonstrated the newfound difficulty of shutting down such movements by an authoritarian government unable to compel social media platforms to remove or ban accounts and channels. Such channels, then, can continue spreading news, content and strategies internally as well as abroad to garner further support and solidarity and allowing diaspora communities and exiles to directly support their movement and cultivate international pressure to achieve their aims. 

The Belarus protests in my view, really demonstrated the potential of social media in modern political movements. Digital tools provided unprecedented capabilities for organization and resistance, as well as giving longstanding potential to such movements regardless of their initial success or failure. The movement’s sophisticated use of digital platforms, despite intense repression, illustrates how modern protest movements can adapt and persist using technology, even in the face of significant state opposition and also demonstrated a change in the global media landscape which many believe can present a greater challenge to authoritarian regimes than earlier forms of media and communication would have allowed. 

Resources:

1. https://www.internetjustsociety.org/how-telegram-shaped-the-belarusian-protest
2. Bedford, S. (2021). “The Digital Resistance: How Online Tools Shaped Belarus’ Protest Movement.” European Journal of Communication, 36(4), 12-28.
3. Rød, E. G., & Weidmann, N. B. (2021). “Empowering Activists or Autocrats? The Internet in Authoritarian Regimes.” Journal of Peace Research, 58(5), 1-15.