Gen Z protests: a new way of mobilising

In recent months, thousands of young people from Generation Z (aka Gen Z)—those born between 1997 and 2012—have taken to the streets to protest against corruption and inequality, from Nepal to Morocco. On RSI's news programme, Alberto Bitonti, a professor at the Faculty of Communication, Culture, and Society at USI, analysed the dynamics of this new wave of youth mobilisation, which is closely connected to social media.

According to Alberto Bitonti, the first key to understanding this phenomenon is cultural and generational: "Generation Z has grown up in a fully digital environment, making them very familiar with various media. Consequently, it is natural for Gen Z to utilise the same tools they use for everyday communication, even in political contexts." The protests observed in Nepal, Morocco, Madagascar and Peru show movements that originated and were coordinated online, often thanks to platforms such as Discord, initially designed for video games but now used for voting, political discussions and organising demonstrations. "Social media is a tool for openness, mobilisation and organisation in an anti-government context," explained Bitonti, recalling how, for a long time, before the risks of disinformation, polarisation and surveillance became apparent, social media was seen as having great potential for emancipation.

But how much impact do these digital protests have on the real world? "Political activities, which sometimes originate online, do not always have an effective impact in the real world," observes the USI professor. The two dimensions, however, are now inseparable: "Today, it is challenging to clearly distinguish between online and offline, to the extent that some people even refer to it as 'on-life'." As for the possibility of similar dynamics emerging in Europe or Switzerland, Bitonti has no doubts: "The West has also seen several street movements organised using digital tools achieve great success." This trend confirms Canadian media theorist Marshall McLuhan's vision of the "global village"’: different mobilisations, fuelled by the same tools and languages.

The full interview with Alberto Bitonti, conducted by Elisa Fraccaroli for RSI's Telegiornale, is available below. (Italian only).