Social Media as ‘safe place’ during Political Unrest
A recent study published in the Chinese Journal of Communication examines whether social media played an anti-establishment role in creating an insurgent public sphere for the protesters in the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong in 2014.
Unlike the Baby Boomer generation who consume news from traditional television and newspaper entities, “Digital Natives” (the young generation typically born after 1990 who used social networking sites for their news consumption) show greater sympathies towards the Umbrella Movement and express greater dissatisfaction with established political authorities.
Authors Paul S. N. Lee, Clement Y. K. So & Louis Leung conducted 1011 telephone interviews with a randomized sample during the protest and categorized these respondents according to age, gender, education, and familiarity with social networking sites (SNSs).
In times of particularly controversial public issues, SNSs provide a safe means of expressing distrust for politicians and mass media outlets, which in turn propagates support for the anti-establishment movements, such as the Umbrella Movement. Whether the action is as small as changing profile pictures to show support for the cause, or establishing distinct debate groups or slogans, this safe environment advocates support for the ‘underdog’, allowing the faceless individuals to collectively act, put pressure on authorities and make demands of those political authorities.
SNSs provide a platform for marginalized groups to voice their political opinions, acting as a means of social engagement which is accessible in a way the world has not seen before. The ramifications of these platforms have yet to be fully uncovered.
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