Theresa Berlage

The Impact of the Internet on Nonviolent Resistance, Specifically Through Youth

Nonviolent resistance has been around for a long time and has seen quite a bit of success

in years past. However, given the introduction of the Internet and social media, this success is

becoming greater and more widespread than ever. This is largely due to the role of youth in

nonviolent resistance and their use of the Internet as a means of implementing change. I will

highlight the impact of the Internet and social media on nonviolent resistance given the role of

youths in the following way. First, I will give a general overview of how youth involvement

increases change and why they are so involved. Next, I will give real world examples of the

impact youths have had on such movements. Following that I will introduce the impact of the

Internet and more specifically, how younger generations have utilized the Internet to impact

change in a nonviolent way. Finally, I will explain how moving forward, nonviolent movements

can be successful by using technology to achieve six important factors in successful movements

while acknowledging limitations of these factors.

To begin, youth involvement is crucial to movements not only today but in the past as

well. Youths are increasingly motivated to make change because unlike older generations, they

are focused on the future and not on the past. They are not concerned with the life they have

already lived but rather, on the life they want to have and will do anything to achieve. Youths

today have suffered extensively from economic crisis, lack of education, lack of employment and

so many other problems plaguing our societies today. They are now given the choice to live an

empty life of crime and mere survival or they can choose to demand change. In order to achieve
the future they seek, they must make changes. This is seen in Chile where a limited access to

education du to neoliberal policies drove students to protest nonviolently. The difficult

experiences youths are facing due to years of conflict have given them no choice but to make a

change. This provides more courage and desire than many older nonviolent activists which is

why youth involvement is increasing.

Youth involvement continues to increase in nonviolent movements but can be seen in

many movements from the past. Christopher A. Miller writes in his piece entitled Only Young

Once An Introduction to Nonviolent Struggle for Youth that, “though Africa’s youth have been

hyped as the major stakeholders and bastion of hope for the future of the continent, harsh

economic, social, and political realities have hit them hard and deprived them of passionate

optimism and belief in the future.” (Miller p. 9) He explains that the youth is the pinnacle of

change for the future and are extremely important in achieving this change. Miller describes how

youth involvement has increased through student movements and organizations. For example,

the Young Turks in 1908 led a movement against the Turkish Ottoman Empire and became, “a

symbol for the power of youths at the international level and an inspiration for young people.”

(Miller p. 33) He goes on to mentioned other student groups and organizations that have been

created and have done great work over the years. Miller quotes Anthony Esler, a historian of

youth movements, who said, “The young have been in the streets in unprecedented and growing

numbers these past two centuries. To this concrete historical extent, the youth revolution is a

reality.” (Miller p 33) This occurred in 1957 and continues to be seen throughout history. It is

clear youth involvement in revolution continues to increase and is a powerful tool for movements

to achieve change.
 In 1998, Serbia experienced a massive resistance movement that started as a few students

taking action. Otpor began as a student group that aimed to rise up against Milosevic. The

leaders of the movement organized workshops to teach the basics of strategic nonviolence to the

students. They began by raising awareness through newspapers and media using satire to mock

him and employing humor tactics. Eventually, Kostunica was in fact declared the winner.

However, Otpor continued to nonviolently push for the consolidation of democracy in Serbia.

This all began with a few students trying to make a change and grew into a massive movement

largely due to the media and mobilization due to that. Nonviolent activism by youths took place

on a large scale in this case but is also done in many ways today through less publicized tactics.

Two examples of youth involvement in nonviolent activism today that is not nearly has

publicized as the Otpor, are seen in Palestine and the Netherlands. A Palestinian organization

called Musicians Without Borders is a teenage rap group that requires 50/50 ratios between boys

and girls in order to overcome the limitations on female musicians. This seemingly small form of

activism is a nonviolent way of bridging gender gaps in a field and country in which they have

existed for so many years. The youth is able to address this issue simply by implementing a rule

like that for their group and then taking that to their international platform through music. The

Netherlands based Voice of Africa Media Foundation is a non-profit which trains young

journalists in Africa to create news videos for the web in order to give the people a voice on an

international platform. This foundation uses both young people and emerging technologies and

the Internet to increase nonviolent activism by giving people a voice. In many of the cases of

youth involvement in resistance movements on can see a latent bandwagon. This is when a few

people, in these cases young students or individuals, start a movement and as attention is given

and popularity increases, people join the movement and mass participation occurs. Youth
involvement in resistance movements and activism has occurred throughout history as seen in

the examples above. However, it is becoming increasingly common given the impact of the

Internet on nonviolent resistance today.

There are several ways in which the Internet, emerging technologies, and social media

have impacted nonviolent resistance. The first way is through mass mobilization. Mass

mobilization is a cornerstone for nonviolent movements. This is the driving force for a successful

movement and is made much easier through social media and the Internet. That is seen in

countless past and present movements, especially those involving youths. One example of the

past is Elizabeth Eckford. In Little Rock, Arkansas, 16-year old Elizabeth Eckford was one of

nine African American students starting school at Little Rock’s Central High School in 1957. As

she came to the school and was harassed by the crowds of white people she stayed strong. Karen

Anderson writes in her book Little Rock: race and resistance at Central High School that,

“Elizabeth Eckford’s ordeal received world-wide publicity. The picture of Central High School

student Hazel Bryan, her face contorted with hate, taunting a frightened but dignified Eckford

became a national and international symbol for racial politics in Little Rock.” (Anderson p. 2)

This picture of a little girl in a small town in Arkansas reached people all over the world and

spread awareness of racial segregation. The powerful message of bravery of one young girl was

able to inflict change and impact people everywhere because of the media. The publicity

mobilized countless people on the subject of racial discrimination all because the youth stood up

and the media spread the news. This type of mobilization was a powerful step in nonviolent

resistance and is seen in many cases today as well.

Malcolm Gladwell writes in his piece entitled Small Change: Why the revolution will not

be tweeted, “With Facebook and Twitter and the like, the traditional relationship between
political authority and popular will has been upended, making it easier for the powerless to

collaborate, coordinate, and give voice to their concerns.” Elizabeth Eckford was one 16-year-

old girl from Arkansas who in times past may have never been known by anyone outside of her

own personal life. However, due to the Internet and the publication of that picture upon her

arrival at the school, not only did the whole world find out about her but even today people speak

of her bravery and the impact she made on the issue of racism. Someone that may have been

powerless was given a voice and was thus able to collaborate with the rest of the world on an

issue that plagued the nation for countless years. This is the impact the Internet and media has

been able to have on nonviolent activism simply due to the extensive reach people now have.

Movements are able to reach more people and communicate with them on a much

broader scale. Manuela Caiani and Linda Parenti analyze the impact of the Internet on certain

movements in the book European and American extreme right groups and the Internet. They

explain that the Internet can, “encourage citizens alienated from institutions of representative

democracy to become involved in new types of political activities and to become re-engaged

with traditional forms of participation.” (Caiani, Parenti p. 3) They go on to explain that the

Internet provides more of the population with information on politics which allows them to be

more engaged in movements. The increased communication and collaboration with people that

were previously closed off to these movements allows for greater and more diverse mobilization

which is crucial to the success of nonviolent movements.

Mobilization as described above is so important because of the impact it has on leverage

over authorities. The Internet has created stronger leverage because people’s voices have become

much louder and more relevant due to increased participation as seen in the case of Elizabeth

Eckford. The more people there are speaking up against an authority, the greater the impact will
be. This can be seen in backfire due to violent repressive action. When an authority acts violently

to repress a movement, the public is outraged and this outrage turns into backfire or uprising if

the audience is large enough. In order to truly have leverage and make a change the audience or

the resistance has to have enough people so that those in power rely on their cooperation.

Once there is reliance, the resistors can use that reliance to control the authorities and

make changes. This is what creates the leverage. Sharon Erickson Nepstad quotes Kurt Schock’s

definition of leverage in her book Nonviolent Struggle: Theories, Strategies, and Dynamics.

According to Schock, “The power of civil resistance comes from its ability to undermine the

power of the opponent through collective actions that drain power and legitimacy of the

opponent or catalyze the withdrawal of support from key actors on which the opponent

depends.” Dependence or reliance is the key factor in creating leverage. That is why mass

participation is so important. Authorities will not depend on a group unless they are large enough

to influence change or action. Nepstad says, “greater participation leads to greater movement

leverage” as described above. (Nepstad p 96) Leverage is the key factor in a movements success

as this is what gives the resistors power over the authority. Therefore, greater participation gives

the resistors more power to make changes. The Internet has created much more participation as

people who were previously detached from politics now have access to all kinds of movements

as described by Caiani and Parenti above. In addition to increased participation and leverage, the

Internet has also contributed to increased accountability.

Social media creates a whole new level of accountability for those in authority by shining

light on injustices that have been overlooked for far too long, and do so in a nonviolent way.

Nepstad states that the reason nonviolent measures are successful at establishing democracies is

because of the accountability that comes with the change. She writes, “Since nonviolent
movements typically require mass participation from citizens, those citizens are likely to remain

politically engaged after a democratic system is established. The experience of civil resistance

helps individuals develop democratic skills and instill expectations of government

accountability.” (Nepstad p 124) These expectations of government accountability that Nepstad

describes hold significant weight when the leverage the opposition has is stronger. When a

government is largely dependent on the people, their leverage increases and they are able to hold

the authority accountable for their actions. Governments are no longer able to treat people poorly

or get away with corruption because the power resides with the people. This is also known as

Civilian-Based power. When the people have the power to control the government because the

authorities rely on their cooperation, the people are able to monitor how those in power behave.

This allows for much greater accountability and can thus prevent corruption and even repression.

This accountability is greatly increased due to social media as authorities are no longer

able to hide their wrongdoings. For example, in Jammu-Kashmir where violent revolt and human

suffering has gone on for so long and the bloodshed has continued to escalate as a young man

was killed by a bullet fired by Indian officers in a football stadium. Over 100 people have been

killed in conflict between the army and civilians since 2010. However, Mayesha Alam writes in

her article on Tech Change, “unlike before when deaths and other injustices went largely

undocumented or unheard of, social media is now bringing the Kashmir question much deserved

national and global attention.” Regimes are able to hold government’s accountable, due to their

leverage, through social media. Authorities cannot mistreat people in secret and not reap the

consequences on a global scale. Countries like the U.S. will not tolerate human suffering or

mistreatment and therefore, such behavior can greatly harm foreign relations for countries that

commit such acts. Alam writes, “A new generation of tech savvy revolutionaries are reshaping
the conflict and demanding a political solution, some semblance of normalcy and

accountability.” This new generation highlights the impact the Internet and social media has

made on nonviolent movements given the increased participation, leverage, and thus

accountability of governments all over the world.

This impact was addressed by the United States Institute of Peace due to how influential

technology has been in these areas. The United States Institute of Peace issued a Special Report

entitled Using Technology in Nonviolent Activism against Repression written by Kelly McKone,

Maria J. Stephan, and Noel Dickover. In the report, 70 civic activists, policymakers,

technologists, nongovernmental organization leaders, and education professionals came together

for a workshop to discuss the opportunities technology provides for nonviolent civic movements

today. The report describes a case in West Kalimantan, Indonesia where palm oil companies

threatened the livelihoods of local farmers. In order to combat this, farmers partnered with Ruai

TV to raise awareness. They used FrontlineSMS, a texting app, to provide local information that

was then broadcasted to a wider audience. This innovative use of the Internet to raise awareness

about injustices occurring in Indonesia exemplifies the increased accountability facing

authorities all over the world and highlights the effectiveness of using the Internet to hold them

accountable. Doing so has proven the success of nonviolent action and supported to notion that

this approach may be more effective than a violent effort.

The use of the Internet in successful nonviolent action has spread the idea that

nonviolence is often more effective than violence in a civil resistance movement. This idea is not

new as it was first stated by Gene Sharp in his book The Politics of Nonviolent Action. Nepstad

references this in her book and explains that Sharp, “called for a new paradigm of nonviolence

that was not grounded in moral or religious principles; rather, it was grounded in the conviction
that strategic nonviolence is simply more effective than violence.” (page xi) This is known as

pragmatic nonviolence which holds that nonviolence is not only morally superior to violent

methods but also more strategically effective. While this looks at nonviolence from a pragmatic

point of view, it is argued that a principled approach is even more effective than pragmatic.

Ghandi wrote, “There is a causal connection between the purity of the intention and the extent of

effectiveness of nonviolent action.” (Dalton, Mahatma Gandhi, p. 45.) Nepstad explains that a

principled approach avoids coercion and instead seeks to convert the opponent which could be

more effective long term. However, whether the approach comes from a principled or pragmatic

source, the overarching idea that nonviolence is simply more effective remains true in the eyes of

many.

Technology and the Internet has greatly extended this idea that nonviolence is more

effective than violence. In her article cited above, Alam writes, “Many of youth are choosing to

embrace non-violence thanks to new technology. People are learning quickly that a video camera

or cell phone can be just as powerful, if not more, for resolving conflict as any conventional

weapon.” Nonviolent tactics have become much broader and more accessible given the use of

the Internet and social media so Sharp’s idea of strategic effectiveness of nonviolence is

amplified through technology.

Two examples of how effective social media can be in resistance movements are seen in

Hong Kong and through Greta Thurnberg. Hong Kong protests have been going on for far too

long and are plaguing the people greatly. The violence of those in power is gruesome and often

masked from the rest of the world. However, due to civilian agency, videos proving the violence

taking place spread all over social media and reached people across the world. These posts are

entirely nonviolent and yet raised awareness for what was occurring and mobilized many people
to support the protestors. The second example that is happening right now is the historical

movement led by Greta Thunberg. Just like Elizabeth Eckford from 1957, Greta is a 16-year-old

girl who is truly changing the world using social media. Her popularity online has spread

awareness for climate change and reached people all over the world that would have never heard

of her otherwise. A young Swedish girl with a passion for this problem has changed the entire

world because of social media. Her popularity on social media has opened doors to prominent

politicians and platforms that have allowed her to gain massive support. After her speech at the

UN she gained 12.4 million followers on social media. She was even nominated by the

Norwegian parliament for the Noble Peace Prize. It all started with a school strike and public

speeches in her town and has now grown into a global movement primarily because of the reach

of social media and the Internet. Her face has become a meme in every country, in countless

ways and has grabbed the attention of people all over the world. This is the impact social media

has and the effectiveness of this nonviolent method is simply incomparable to past violent action.

Considering the involvement of youth in nonviolent resistance and the impact the Internet

and social media have had on these movements, one can identify the important factors of a

successful movement and how the Internet can be used to achieve each of these. Peter Ackerman

and Hardy Merriman list six factors that characterize successful nonviolent movements and

specify how technology and the Internet can greatly affect each factor. First, the movement must

have the ability to unify people. Nepstad cites Wendy Pearlman’s 2011 book in which she

describes her “organizational mediation theory” which explains that nonviolent resistance

requires, “discipline, clear strategic direction, and coordination—something only unified

movements can provide through strong leadership.” (Page 118) A nonviolent movement must be

unified in order to be successful and to affect real change. This unification often comes from
leaders but in this day and age can come from online organization and framing. Framing can be

used to clarify the goal of a movement and align those goals with the emotions of movement

members. This is often done via social media as it allows the information to be spread on a large

scale instantly. Therefore, social media and the Internet is a key tool in unifying movements.

Second, a movement must have the capacity to choose and sequence tactics in order to

advance their strategy. In their piece, FRAMING PROCESSES AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS: An

Overview and Assessment, Robert Benford and David Snow describe the concept of framing,

mentioned above. Specifically, they describe three different types of framing including

diagnostic framing, prognostic framing, and motivational framing. Each of these plays a role for

a movement and is extremely important for the movement. Prognostic framing, “involves the

articulation of a proposed solution to the problem, or at least a plan of attack, and the strategies

for carrying out the plan.” (Benford, Snow p 66) This type of framing clarifies the strategies the

movement is using to achieve their goal and to impact change. Doing so is much easier given the

use of the Internet and the ability to communicate with a much larger audience. The strategy can

be successful outlined and communicated in a matter of minutes. Doing so enables the

movement to spend time on taking collective action given the clear communication of the plan.

Third, there must be a commitment to nonviolent discipline. It is crucial for a movement

to be wholly committed to nonviolent discipline in order for the movement to be successful. Any

deviation whatsoever can derail the entire effort. Nepstad states, “If a segment of the civil

resistance movement is not convinced that nonviolence is the best strategic approach, those

resistors may resort to violence during marches, demonstrations, and other campaign events.

When this occurs, the movements chances for winning tend to decrease.” (Nepstad p. 118) There

has to be a complete commitment to nonviolence otherwise the efforts become baseless. Spurts
of violence from resistors allows states to crack down and justify their repressive actions as

means to simply prevent harm. However, if there is a unified commitment to nonviolence, there

is no reason for states to react and the movement can be much more effective. Social media

makes this kind of commitment much easier because widespread action can be taken via the

internet that requires no violence at all. More can be done by a few tweets or memes as seen by

Greta Thurnberg than a violent reaction to authority. Therefore, remaining committed to

nonviolence is made much easier given the use of the Internet for action.

Fourth, there must be growing participating in the movement as explained above. The

primary way nonviolent movements achieve change is through mobilization. Without this, there

is no basis for an authority to make changes. There has to be massive participation in order for

the movement to gain traction and force change. Empirical data greatly supports to notion that

greater participation increases the chance of winning for a movement. Nepstad explains that this

is because having widespread participation enhances the effectiveness of nonviolent

mechanisms. For example, when more people participate in withholding cooperation and skills,

the more impact it will have. Social media enables participation given the access to it all over the

world and the simplicity of logging on and posting a cause instantaneously. There has never been

an easier form of participation and therefore mobilization is continuously increasing.

Not only does social media increase participation but it can also increase the diversity of

the participants which is also very important. As mentioned, social media and the Internet are

accessible in many parts of the world so people from all walks of life can take part in a

movement. This is extremely important for nonviolent movements. Nepstad writes, “Widespread

diverse participation can also enhance tactical innovation, since different participants will bring

distinct skills and ideas to the struggle. This can increase the number of pressure points and the
ability to outmaneuver the opponent.” (Nepstad p. 96) The importance of leverage described

above is increased through a diverse population of participants. The more pressure movements

can put on those in control, the more change they can demand or influence. Therefore, the

increase in diverse participation due to social media and youth involvement is a major

contributor to successful resistance movements.

Fifth, a movement must diminish the effects of repression to be successful. This requires

building institutions that support the movement’s self-sufficiency and these institutions can begin

online if the government is not eager to implement them. Resilience when facing repression is a

crucial aspect of resistance. It is critical but as Nepstad states it is, “not an innate trait but

something actively cultivated by civil resistance organizers.” In order to cultivate resilience,

organizers must create parallel institutions as described by Gene Sharp in order to uphold the

changes they seek to make. Implementing such institutions can come from the government but in

cases in which the government does not take action, the Internet can be used to begin raising

support for and implementing these institutions. Doing so can cultivate resilience and prevent

backsliding.

Lastly, movements that increase defections from their opponents are largely successful.

When loyalty shifts within key organizations toward a movement, defections become likely. This

could be a security force member refusing to take action or an opponent speaking positively

about the movement on social media. Social media allows opponents to defect by giving them a

platform to broadcast their own beliefs quite easily. Also, defection is much more likely when a

movement has massive diverse participation. Nepstad explains that when people of all ages,

backgrounds, and classes participate, there is a great likelihood that some participants have ties

to powerful players. For example, military officers might have children that are part of the
movement or young recruits might have friends that are participating. Seeing the impact the

movement has on people close to them can influence them to take action as well and defect. As

explained above, the internet as greatly increase diversity in participation given the access so

many different people have to it. This diversity increases the chance of defection of the opponent

which is the final piece of a successful nonviolent movement. This further indicates that the

Internet has made the likelihood of a successful nonviolent movement much greater.

Future movements can be successful if they have these six things. The strongest resource

for achieving these things right now is the Internet and the primary group that has been able to

utilize this resource is the youth. Many movements are failing because one or more of these

factors is missing. There are also other reasons movements fail and even with all six of these a

movement can fail. States may simply have too much power or control over the resistors and

their leverage may not be enough to overpower the authority. There are limitations to the use of

the Internet and perhaps negative effects of this kind of resistance. Tristan Anne Borer describes

a limitation in his book Media, Mobilization, and Human Rights: Mediating Suffering. Due to

the use of the Internet in resistance movements, many of the encounters with human-rights

suffering occurs through reading about them or watching them online. This makes the victims

strangers and somewhat disconnected. As a result, there is no global citizenry or connection

between those suffering and the people trying to support them. While this is one limitation of the

Internet in resistance movements, the positive impact it has made and the doors it has opened

greatly outweighs the limitations of it. Therefore, if the youth gets involved and utilizes the

Internet as a transformative resource, real change can be made all over the world.
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