Digital Asia and Activism

The Dangers of Digital Activism in a Closed Country

Chattapadhyay's interview with Aung delves into different forms of digital activism in Myanmar as it spans across multiple generations, as well as the dangers of using such digital tools. Aung distinguishes between three generations of activists in Myanmar, with the most recent "2007 Saffron Revolution generation" being more characterized by using digital tools for activism, particularly blogging to express what was happening within the country. These tools became dangerous in the digital sphere almost immediately, as she mentions her generation experiencing state censorship of media for the first time. Similarly, social media can be an effective tool for organizing but high media visibility can also make these activists vulnerable to being tracked down by the government. We see that censorship has recently been lifted, but serious consequences for those who criticize the government remain in place. The focuses of Aung's organization, MIDO, includes digital media and social media literacy training for high-tech and low-tech tools alike, emphasizing an interest in online and offline digital activism. Unmonitored hate speech is also another danger of social media, and MIDO addresses this issue through the Panzagar movement, which creates and spreads anti-hate messages and stickers to make the Internet a safer place. 

"Burma VJ" explores digital video and video journalists specifically and their role in the 2007 Saffron revolution and provide a graphic look into the dangers Burmese users of such digital tools face. The documentary contains first person narration voiceover by "Joshua," a member of Democratic Voices of Burma, a TV station in exile that smuggles footage out of the country where international news channels broadcast it back into Burma and the world. Regarding form, this kind of raw handicam footage creates a very visceral and tangible fear for the viewer and also doesn't necessarily emphasize a sole icon for the movement. The shakiness exemplifies the danger of these VJ's work and risking their lives to do critical work, and raises the question: what is the relationship between journalism/digital video and activism? It seems in Myanmar, a camera has much purpose as it can be a tool to fight back against an oppressive state and its media censorship. No participant in the protests in Myanmar is safe from danger, and yet perhaps we should differentiate religious from political protest. As the Buddhist monks start to protest and signify religious protest, while "the public will make it political." The imagery of the monks came to signify a specific kind of dissent that was quiet and peaceful in its opposition to military brutality, and created impact as it reached Western news audiences. And yet, these events of protest and state violence seem to have once again escaped our memory, a phenomenon reinforced by the fast-paced nature of digital connection. We are reminded of the importance of memory in our roles as allies, and the political power that remembering holds.

-Michelle

This page has paths:

Contents of this path: