As a wave of student-led protests swept India last week, Satvik Soni spent hours buried on Instagram broadcasting protest locations, explaining detainees¡¯ rights and calling on demonstrators to report police misconduct. His tersely worded posts quickly racked up tens of thousands of views.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi¡¯s government struggled to catch up. As the movement gained steam, Modi¡¯s allies took to X and WhatsApp, accusing the movement of being backed by foreign forces. They blocked the Cockroach Janta Party¡¯s main account on X and cut internet access at gathering spots, following a playbook New Delhi has used to quash unrest in Kashmir and other hotspots.
It didn¡¯t work. Fueled by tongue-in-cheek memes and viral reels of a police crackdown, India¡¯s Generation Z protesters outmaneuvered Modi online at virtually every turn, calling into question the Indian leader¡¯s longstanding dominance of the country¡¯s digital landscape ¡ª instrumental in propelling him to power 12 years ago, and in helping him maintain control since.
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