Digitally Dismantling Asian Authoritarianism

Abstract

In April 2020, a Twitter war erupted under the hashtag #MilkTeaAlliance. It united users from Thailand, Taiwan, and Hong Kong in a fight against Chinese techno-nationalists’ attempts to shame public figures into supporting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s framing of geopolitics. In the months that followed, Thai, Taiwanese, and Hong Kong activists continued to lend support to each other through their use of this and other hashtags. Why does the #MilkTeaAlliance hashtag resonate with so many? What political contexts preceded the consolidation of the #MilkTeaAlliance, and how may this alliance reshape geopolitical landscapes off-line? We approach these questions from our perspective as activists embedded in these movements. We argue that the formation of the #MilkTeaAlliance unites voices that are marginalized diplomatically, discursively, and affectively by the CCP, and—more crucially—generates valuable affective and physical forms of intra-Asian solidarity against authoritarianism in the region.

Platformed solidarity: Examining the performative politics of Twitter hashflags

“…The Milk Tea Alliance originated in a 2020 Twitter meme about the digital tactics used by nationalistic Chinese users. Evolving into a South-East Asian pro-democracy movement in opposition to authoritarianism, the movement represents solidarity and civic activism in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Myanmar (Dedman and Lai, 2021; Kuang and Handley, 2021; McLaughlin, 2020). In endorsing the Milk Tea Alliance through the launch of the hashflag, Twitter’s announcement also served to reinforce how the platform viewed itself as central to democratic values and action‘From #MeToo, #BlackLivesMatter to #MilkTeaAlliance, Twitter continues to play a unique role in enabling the public conversation around important social movements that are happening around the world’ (Twitter Public Policy, 2021c).…”

Exploring transterranean activism as a research site beyond local protest sites

“…The latter in particular is an important resource for activists in polities with limited pluralism and political opportunities, such as democratization movements in authoritarian countries (Abdelrahman, 2011; Moss, 2016, 2018; Simpson, 2012). Examples of such loose coalitions include regional ideas such as the “Milk Tea Alliance” (Dedman and Lai, 2021) as well as more organized support through human rights organizations.…”

From Bad Student to Transnational Activist: Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal and Transnational Activism in Northeast and Southeast Asia

“…Despite their diverse origins and organising bodies, these youth-led protests have served as a mutual source of inspiration, featuring several similar protest symbols and strategies (Janjira Sombatpoonsiri 2021;Ladia 2022). Moreover, the youth who engaged with these movements identified themselves as part of the Milk Tea Alliance, a loose transnational coalition, by supporting and advocating for each other's movements, as well as fighting against the expansion of authoritarianism in the region (Dedman and Lai 2021;Huang and Chavalin Svetanant 2022).…”