One of the countries we talked about in class was Myanmar. In their case, they were using cell phones as a way to communicate safely and as a way to spread their message to a more international audience. As much as the incumbent military would try to stop or at least slow their progress, it was to no avail. The citizens were too motivated by the current oppressive government that they found ways around whatever blocks were put in place by the government.

Communication

The people of Myanmar would use apps like Facebook, WhatsApp, and YouTube to communicate with each other and the international audience who was watching everything happen from the outside. They would use signs that were in English to post online so a much larger group of people could be informed about what they were protesting, and the current status of the protest. By taking advantage of these social networks, much larger groups of people could form to fight against the oppressive military. An example was given where a doctor was taken into custody by the military, and a live stream was used to spread the word that the raid had occurred and people were needed to protect this doctor that was helping the resistance.

Bypassing Restrictions

These people also had to bypass the restrictions that the government was putting on cellular providers and networks. They would block the IP addresses of popular social apps in an attempt to restrict the reach of the protests. They were unable to simply revoke internet access as many of the regular functions of society had moved to the internet after COVID and would be shut down by killing the internet. In order for the protesters to continue to fight they would download VPNs to bypass the network restrictions and post pictures and videos to public pages where others could see and take action.

Conclusion

By utilizing cell phones and technology, the people of Myanmar were able to spread their protest internationally and maintain the democratic integrity of their country. Technology allows us to show the facts from every perspective if used correctly. When our politicians participate in the technology we have available, we can heavily strengthen our democracy as it provides a unique insight into most of our population that hasn’t been available before.

https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/in-myanmar-a-digital-savvy-nation-poses-a-new-challenge-for-the-military