Bullets and Boomerangs

Abstract

Through digital ethnography of the mass uprising against Myanmar's early-2021 military coup, this article considers appeals to “the international community,” in which activists maneuver the simultaneous potential and peril of global entreaties, deploying a double-move of contradictory thrusts: to continue stoking the possibility of international intervention, activists reiterate demands while intensifying their affective content; conversely, they use anticipated failure of those appeals to “boomerang” them back to local publics—making the international a present-but-effaced addressee, they engage in the jouissance of abandonment, coordinate (potentially violent) tactics, shame their enemies, and engage in political debate on the objectives of their ongoing struggle. By retaining the key mediatory role vis-à-vis Myanmar publics, activists enact an alternative relationship with the international, one that invites intervention but is not dependent on it.

Democratic backsliding disrupted: The role of digitalized resistance in Myanmar

“…Almost immediately following the military takeover on February 1, people took to Facebook and Twitter to amplify the visibility of protest activities (Jordt et al, 2021;Phyu Phyu Oo, 2021;Radio Free Asia, 2021). Moreover, protesters and independent media used social media to expose military corruption, counter-mobilization strategies, and violent crackdowns against peaceful protesters in order to generate outrage and motivate retaliation both domestically and internationally (Jordt et al, 2021;Prasse-Freeman, 2023). Due to increasing pressure from local civil society, Facebook also took down military-linked pages and accounts on its platform within weeks of the coup (Milko, 2021).…”