• Mobilization and Coordination: Activists used platforms like Facebook to schedule protests and Twitter to coordinate events in real-time. The "We Are All Khaled Said" Facebook page in Egypt, for example, garnered hundreds of thousands of followers and was a primary force in organizing the Tahrir Square protests that led to President Hosni Mubarak's resignation.
• Information Dissemination and Awareness: Digital media provided an alternative to state-controlled traditional media, allowing activists to share information, photos, and videos of government oppression, police brutality, and protest activities with both local and global audiences. The video of Mohamed Bouazizi's self-immolation in Tunisia, circulated via mobile phones and social media, was a key spark for the initial revolution.
• Shaping Narratives and Collective Identity: Social media helped turn individualized grievances into a collective consciousness and shared identity among diverse populations, fostering a sense of unity against common oppressors. Online conversations about democracy and shared struggles often preceded major events on the ground.
• International Support and Attention: Content shared online by "citizen journalists" raised international awareness and put pressure on local governments, especially when foreign journalists were banned. 

• Economic Insecurity: High youth unemployment, rising costs of living, and the "uberisation" of labor, leading to a sense of a broken social contract.
• Climate Crisis: A top priority and source of significant "eco-anxiety," with a strong belief that the government should take immediate action.
• Social Justice: A profound commitment to racial equity, LGBTQ+ rights, and inclusion, with nearly half of Gen Z belonging to communities of color.
• Governmental Mismanagement & Corruption: Deep distrust in existing political institutions, which are often viewed as corrupt, nepotistic, and unresponsive to public needs.
• Mental Health & Gun Violence: Growing concerns about the national mental health crisis and the prevalence of gun violence, with many experiencing active shooter drills as a formative event. 

• Digital-First Approach: Social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Discord, and X serve as primary tools for networking, education, and organizing.
• Leaderless Coordination: Movements are often decentralized, coordinated organically through online networks and encrypted messaging apps, which makes them difficult for authorities to target and dismantle by arresting central figures.
• Hybrid Mobilization: Digital campaigns are used to build momentum and tangible support for potent real-world actions like marches, rallies, and civil disobedience.
• Information Control Challenges: Activists use open-source intelligence (OSINT) and viral storytelling to expose elite corruption and government secrets, leveraging transparency as a weapon against authoritarian control.
• Shared Identity & Transnational Solidarity: A shared global culture, sometimes using universal symbols like the "Jolly Roger" flag, fosters peer-to-peer tactical learning and a sense of collective purpose across geographical boundaries. 

• In Morocco, the leaderless youth collective "GenZ 212" used digital platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Discord to mobilize protests demanding better healthcare, education, and social equity. Their online presence rapidly grew to over 130,000 members, enabling spontaneous street actions and decentralized coordination.
• Nepal saw youth-led uprisings triggered by opposition to social media bans, which evolved into protests against government corruption and economic stagnation. Gen Z activists used TikTok, Instagram, and Discord for real-time organization and viral mobilization.
• In Indonesia, workers and students used TikTok, Instagram, and encrypted chat apps to coordinate nationwide protests against labor reforms and economic hardships.
• Bangladesh witnessed student-led uprisings orchestrated through digital platforms, which were powerful enough to force the long-standing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee.
• Kenyan Gen Z activists harnessed social media to organize protests centering on issue-based activism, leveraging crowdfunding, hacking, and mass texting to expand participation.
• In Peru and the Philippines as well, youth leveraged memes, livestreams, and messaging apps for protests on pension reforms, inequality, and government corruption.

• Digital Divide and Access Issues: Low internet penetration in some regions, high data costs, and lack of digital literacy exclude marginalized communities, undermining inclusivity in digital activism efforts.?
• Organizational Structure and Leadership Gaps: Gen Z movements are often leaderless and decentralized due to social media platforms, enabling agility but causing fragmentation, infighting, and lack of sustained coordination and clear agendas. This can weaken movements' coherence and durability.?
• Algorithmic Bias and Platform Censorship: Social media algorithms and content moderation policies may suppress activist voices unpredictably. This restricts reach and can disproportionately affect certain groups or controversial causes.?
• Surveillance and Digital Repression: Governments and autocratic regimes use advanced AI surveillance, censorship, and legal crackdowns to repress digital activists, creating legal, reputational, and psychological burdens that discourage sustained activism.?
• Attention Economy and Misinformation: Activist messages compete against vast amounts of entertainment and commercial content, while misinformation, disinformation, and deep fakes undermine trust and authenticity of activist campaigns.?
• Passive Engagement and Symbolic Actions: A significant portion of Gen Z engagement online is "lighter-touch" such as liking or sharing posts rather than deeper involvement like petition signing or donations, limiting concrete impact.?
• Mental Health and Burnout: The overwhelming scale of social issues, slow policy change, and need for immediacy creates frustration, mental health challenges, and burnout among young activists.?
• Fragmented Agendas and Public Perception: Rapidly shifting online content can lead to splintering of movements and changing public perceptions, weakening the consistency and coalition-building efforts of youth-led activism.?

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