Today's Activism

Digital Activism

Digital activism, also known as cyberactivism, is a form of activism that uses the Internet as a platform for political action. Online activists use the Internet as a medium for information distribution and develop protest sites that mirror offline demonstrations. Examples of digital activism include email and social media campaigning, virtual sit-ins, et cetera. 

Beijing, China

Digital activism is one of China's most essential forms of citizen activism. After the incident in Tiananmen Square, CCP hurried to put in the "Great Firewall of China" as the government envisioned the possibility of social movements on the Internet. Initially, censorship was rudimentary, but it became more serious.

Introduced in the mid-1990s, Internet activism in China has evolved in response to the constant changes in state control. Not only does censorship restrict the discussion of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, but it also prohibits any subjects that display "unhealthy marital values," names that would affect President Xi's reputation, pro-democracy keywords, et cetera.

Some of the censored words are as follows: Winnie the Pooh (President Xi's online image), Steamed Bun (Baozi) (one of President Xi's online nicknames), Tibet Independence, Jokes on the Soviet Union (considered as mocking the CCP), Go Hong Kong (support for pro-democracy protests), Tiananmen, June 4th, Tank Man... 

Though it is challenging to discuss sensitive political topics online, digital activists have shifted their focus to environmental and charity activism. From the Beijing air pollution discussion to charity activities like "Free Lunch for Children" in underdeveloped areas, Chinese online activists are slowly impacting China. 

Hong Kong 

Through the Umbrella Movement in the fall of 2014, media users around the world witnessed how CCP reacted to unrest in a territory whose autonomy used to be guaranteed under a treaty with the British government. As seen in the 2014 movement, activists used digital platforms as a means of seeking consensus about critical decisions for the protest movement. They established "keyboard warriors," an indispensable part of the democracy movement. Digital platforms provided new opportunities for a wide range of protesters and audiences. The success in organization and persuasion that media has on the Umbrella Movement has yet to be proven. Still, it is obvious that digital activism played an essential role in achieving short-term protest goals regarding tactical maneuvering and information sharing. 

Moving on to Anti Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement in 2019, activists exhibited features of modern, decentralized, and networked social movements through the use of new communication and social media platforms — most notably, Telegram and LIHKG. With the employment of the new platforms, protesters built up the three primary characteristics of the 2019 protest in Hong Kong — leaderlessness, radicalization, and unity. Unlike the 2014 protest, protesters in the 2019 protest sought the need for solidarity to maintain a coherent set of narratives and highly participatory decision-making processes.

The two new platforms in the digitally shaped society provided space for coordination and negotiation among protesters. With the attack on freedom of the press in Hong Kong following the 2019 protest, there was a transition in reliance on receiving democratic news and opinions on social media, primarily Twitter and Instagram. As a result, there was a rise in creating new accounts affiliated with pro-democracy organizations or individuals. As covid broke out in early 2020, the consistency of protests stopped, and most activists turned to digital activism. 

Mr. Wong, a former high school Liberal Studies and Visual Arts teacher in Hong Kong, felt strongly about navigating online platforms to showcase his political opinions by creating political cartoons, which he hoped others would resonate with him since May 2019. In addition to being an activist, Mr. Wong had a strong passion for the arts during his time at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He became a high school teacher during Hong Kong's pivotal political moments. Due to the suppressed educational system, Mr. Wong had to be extremely cautious about his words and actions. He did not stop posting on his political cartoon account (vawongsir) when being accused of inappropriate conduct as a teacher. To no surprise, Mr. Wong's teaching career reached a stopping point when the Education Bureau took away his teaching license. He is currently exiled to Taiwan due to the possibility of serving jail time if arrested under China's national security law. 

Activism in Daily Life

It is perhaps very challenging for people to picture choosing restaurants as a political act. Yet, after the kick-off of the 2019 protest in Hong Kong, many residents are turning to mobile apps when deciding on locations to find out: not for reviews of food or services but to look for "yellow" instead of "blue" eateries, with "yellow" being pro-democracy and "blue" being pro-CCP. After seven months of social unrest, a store or a restaurant's political affiliation has become a determinant for Hong Kong activists when choosing locations for consumption. By boycotting "blue" businesses, residents were trying to demonstrate to the CCP their abilities to be economically self-sufficient through the "yellow" economic circle. 

In restaurants identified as "yellow," one could see walls covered with encouraging messages on sticky notes, items or drawings of Pepe the Frog (a symbol of hate in the U.S.), sections for small pro-democratic business owners to sell their items, et cetera.