Mobilizing Dissent: Local Protest, Global Audience

World Politics Review features are original, in-depth analyses of key public-policy issues by leading experts. This feature focuses on the intersection of local protests and global politics.


Summary: In an age of ubiquitous information and instantaneous communication, local protests increasingly play out before a global audience. But perceptions from afar do not always correspond to realities on the ground. In China, despite Western perceptions of a gathering storm, local protests have become a managed, if costly, form of political participation. In the global public square, local dissent can be more easily diffused by social networks, but predicting pathways and sustaining action remain problematic. And while the ease of transmitting images has helped mobilize dissent, it has also weakened message control and other aspects of historically successful opposition movements.