For a time, people called 2019 "the year of the protest," as civil unrest flooded streets from Hong Kong to Egypt. Before that, it was 2011, marked by Occupy Wall Street and the Arab Spring's pro-democracy uprisings in the Middle East.
But now, with what are being called Gen-Z protests spreading around the world, some experts say 2025 could steal that title.
"I do think this might actually be a new emergence of protest culture, and I do think it will be global," said Shana MacDonald, the O'Donovan Chair in Communication at the University of Waterloo who researches social and digital media.
Over the last month, a wave of youth-led protests has hit the streets in Nepal, Morocco and Madagascar, all of them mobilizing support online and driven by frustration against government corruption or incompetence.
The specific demands differ. Morocco's youth are rallying for social justice reforms and the state of public services as the north African country invests billions of dollars into hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
In Madagascar, protestors on the Indian Ocean island are decrying the failure of the electricity and water supplies.
In Nepal, the anger is over allegations of decades-long corruption and nepotism, prompted by a recent social media ban implemented by the government that was quickly reversed. The prime minister, K.P. Sharma Oli, resigned amid widening criticism of the country's political elite.
These are some of the most well-known, but other, similar youth-led protests have recently emerged in other countries, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Serbia, Kenya, Paraguay, and Peru.
A demonstrator wearing a mask waves a Peruvian flag near the congress building during an anti-government demonstration in Lima on Sunday. (Connie France/AFP/Getty Images)
The common thread in all of them is frustration over poor governance, lack of opportunities and rampant inequality, explained Michelle Chen, an assistant professor in communications at Brock University in St. Cataherines, Ont., who studies the impact of social media technologies on social movements.
"In many parts of the world, Gen Z as a cohort is suffering," Chen told CBC News.
"They are coming of age and graduating into a world with political instability, increased polarization, widening wealth inequality, and a weaker job market. The future can look bleak and hopeless."
WATCH | Morocco's youth protests turn deadly: Anti-government youth protests in Morocco turn deadly Duration 4:12 Two people were killed and others injured when security forces in Morocco opened fire on protesters who where attempting to steal their weapons, local authorities said. The protests, which began Saturday with demands for better education and healthcare, have been organized online by a loosely formed youth group called GenZ 212.
'Unifying and connecting disparate voices'
Gen Z, defined as those born roughly between 1996 and 2010, is the first generation to grow up entirely in the internet age. Now, as experts have pointed out, they're using those digital tools to rally behind their causes.
On Friday, Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina said he was ready to find solutions to the problems facing the island nation, but ignored calls for his resignation by the nationwide youth-led protest movement. He disbanded the government late on Monday in an attempt to quell public anger.
A protester in the Madagascar capital of Antananarivo on Saturday. (Rijasolo/AFP/Getty Images)
The protests there started on social media under the banner "Gen Z Madagascar," according to news agency France 24.
On Thursday, Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch said he was open to dialogue to end youth protests in his country as security forces prepared for a sixth night of demonstrations that have escalated into riots across the country.
The protests initially began with demands for better education and healthcare. They have been organized by a loosely formed, anonymous youth group calling itself "GenZ 212" using online platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and the gaming app Discord.
Youth take part in anti-corruption protests calling for education and health-care reforms, in Rabat, Morocco, on Tuesday. (Mosa'ab Elshamy/The Associated Press)
The fact that these movements spread so quickly to other countries show that the public display of protests via social media, particularly of large crowds, can be extremely powerful, Chen said.
"Social media has a way of unifying and connecting disparate voices and experiences, which is important for movement building," Chen said.
This isn't the first time the internet has been used to create protest cultures, said MacDonald, pointing to other hashtag movements such as Occupy Wall Street, Idle No More and Black Lives Matter. But while these protests may feel like a recent memory for many observers, for a young Gen Z, they're historical.
"This their first time utilizing their most intimately recognizable mode of communication to share their politics, but also to decide how to demonstrate and how to come together," MacDonald said.
Protesters hold smartphone flashlights during a march in Belgrade, Serbia, on Wednesday, marking eleven months since a train station disaster that became a symbol of entrenched corruption and ignited nationwide protests. (Oliver Bunic/str/AFP/Getty Images)
Just the beginning?
While the name "Gen Z protest" might suggest youth-led movements are new, that's not the case, Chen explained. Many significant protests such as Tiananmen Square, Occupy Wall Street, Arab Spring, and the Umbrella Revolution in Hong Kong have been led by younger people, she said.
But digital technologies have made it faster and easier to mobilize today, she said.
Thousands of students gather near the monument to the People's Heroes in Tiananmen Square on April 22, 1989, in another example of youth-led protests. (Catherine Henriette/AFP/Getty Images)
"This may give the impression that Gen Z protest at a higher rate than other generations."
It also allows people to see their experiences of inequality or injustice as a collective one, Chen explained. And as more young people consume this content, they may start to see protest as an appropriate strategy to voice their frustration with their local government.
MacDonald said that, when we look back, she thinks we could call 2025 "the year of the protest," too, because it's possible what we're seeing now with the Gen Z protests is just the beginning.
"You're going to see it in the U.S., immediately, I would say."
"I think that these protests are thoughtful in their approach. And they have models. They have the Arab Spring."
[SRC] https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/gen-z-protests-1.7649127
