Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Kultur-, Sozial- und Bildungswissenschaftliche Fakultät - Institut für Asien- und Afrikawissenschaften

Digital Strike: donating time to the Spring Revolution

Min Htin Kyaw Lat

29. Januar, 18 Uhr

Invalidenstr. 118, Raum 117

This presentation examines phenomenon of ‘digital strike’ in Myanmar, where politically motivated users coordinate online to raise funds for the Spring Revolution. Drawing inspiration and tactics from K-pop fandom culture, these networks engage in mass click-farming and streaming challenges to monetize content. Based on digital ethnographic research conducted in 2023, this study explores how these networks are organized, the types of content they produce, and their diverse monetization strategies. Findings reveal that this activity represents a significant evolution in digital resistance, transforming everyday online actions into a financial engine for a revolutionary movement. The study highlights how this model of ‘digital strike’ blurs the lines between entertainment, fandom, donation and political action, offering a potential avenue for resource-strapped movements. Ultimately, this case illustrates how grassroots digital communities creatively repurpose global platform infrastructures for political purposes in constrained environments.

Weiterführende Links:

https://aseas.univie.ac.at/index.php/aseas/article/view/9098