Dear MEL Topic Readers,
The Gen Z uprising in Asia shows social media is a double-edged sword
In recent years, there has been a wave of youth-led uprisings in South
and Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka in 2022, Bangladesh in 2024, and Nepal, Indonesia,
and the Philippines this year. They are driven by frustration over corruption,
nepotism (unfair use of power to grant an advantage, privilege, or position to
relatives of power elites), and bleak economic prospects. These movements weren’t
led by political ideologies or social movements, but were digitally fueled by
social media. Indeed, short video clips or messages go viral at lightning speed
around the country and spark anger among frustrated young people to mass demonstrations
and even violence. For example, in Nepal, large-scale anti-corruption and anti-nepotism
protests by Generation Z students last month caused 70 deaths, destruction of
government buildings, and the resignation of the Prime Minister. It seems
unwise for those in power to underestimate the power of digitally armed young
people.
Read the article and learn what angered young people in Asia so
fiercely.
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