When the Nepal government announced a nationwide ban of social media platforms, they could not anticipate the sleeping bear they would poke. From 8 to 13 September, thousands of enraged members of Generation Z took to the streets of major cities in a national protest, with civilians demanding a new government be voted in to replace the current corrupt government. Within days, Nepal was set ablaze, with demonstrators torching the Parliament, state buildings, and state officials’ private residences – a symbolic statement targeted at the elites and their political dynasties. Imagine a world without Instagram, YouTube and X – what would your next move be?
The decentralised uprising was organised without any involvement from political parties; it was done through encrypted apps and word of mouth. Ultimately, the prime minister was forced to resign and a new one was appointed through a Discord chat.
However, the movement was not a melodramatic act. The banning of social media platforms was the linchpin that caused the Nepali people to express their frustrations against state corruption, nepotism, inflated living costs, and unemployment. Additionally, this uprising by Nepal is not a novelty. As noted by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), it follows a string of anti-corruption protests sweeping across Asia, collectively dubbed as #SEAblings.
With the revolution being broadcast online, South Africans have left comments under these videos expressing their frustrations with the current government and the corruption happening in the country. This led to countless South Africans strategising and planning strikes online as a way to change the country’s trajectory and make their voices heard. According to the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s (IEC) Janet Love, only 20% of Parliament consists of the youth, most of whom are millennials.
This imbalance questions the effectiveness of voting as a means to make radical change. If South Africa experienced a similar social media shutdown, a large contributor to political apathy would be removed and the suppression would amplify resistance. As seen with the #FeesMustFall movement, the same potential lies dormant, waiting for something to spark a movement of similar magnitude. Nepal logged off and regained control of their nation. Only time will tell if that signal was strong enough to reach South Africa and spark a change in the nation.
