Gen Z protests are sweeping over the globe

What — and we cannot stress this enough — is going on with Gen Z lately?

We’re not talking about the layered streetwear, tiny sunglasses, or quirky bucket hats (though these are valid concerns we might explore in a future special edition).

Rather, we’re talking about all the toppling of governments (or attempts therein).

Gen-Zers in Madagascar just became the latest crochet-clad crew to oust their rulers, with President Rajoelina dissolving his administration on Monday after days of deadly unrest.

And they’re not alone — authorities in Morocco are bracing for a fourth day of protests, echoing recent vibes out of Peru, the Philippines, Indonesia, East Timor, and Nepal.

And while of course each protest has specific domestic drivers, there are also some real cross-border similarities worth exploring. So let’s look at three:

1. Economic mismanagement  

Madagascar’s protests bubbled over amid persistent water and power cuts, while folks in Morocco have seized on all the glitzy new 2030 FIFA World Cup infrastructure, chanting “stadiums are here, but where are the hospitals?” (it pops more in Arabic).

Those young Peruvians took to the streets when lawmakers forced them to contribute to a private pension fund despite most folks there still working in the informal economy. And up in Nepal? Kids are staggering across their college degree finish line like some 1980s marathon runner, only to then enter an economy barely paying workers $200 per month.

The common thread is a pervasive sense of despair. And it’s exacerbated by…

2. Corruption 

Indonesia’s protests blew up when struggling folks found out about cushy new housing perks for parliamentarians. Locals in Timor-Leste only cooled it once Dili ditched its plans to give lawmakers lifetime pensions and pimping SUVs. And in the Philippines, there is no emoji to capture the anger of finding out that officials skimmed billions off flood relief. 

All in all, we crunched the numbers and it turns out these Gen-Z uprisings have all hit countries ranked 99th or worse (out of 180) on Transparency’s Corruption Index.

So earning novelty wages is one thing. But to spend your unpaid lunch break scrolling through a feed of mis-managers absolutely living it large? Nuh uh. Which takes us to…

3. Social media 

These days, digital platforms play a role at every step of the way.

• At home: #NepoBaby videos of rich kids first went viral on Indonesian TikTok and Instagram in August, helping swell Jakarta’s streets.
• Abroad: Netizens in Nepal then not only used those same hashtags to flame their own elites, but also copied the movement’s same anime pirate flag as an anti-government emblem that’s since spread to the Philippines and beyond.
• Escalation: It was then Nepal’s attempted social media ban that fanned the outrage in Nepal, while videos of police brutality poured fuel on Indonesia’s fire.
• Organisation: Youths in Nepal then coordinated their tactics via Discord, while…
• Execution: Folks in the Philippines even used Reddit to dox corrupt elites!
• Pacification: But TikTok really stands out not just as the platform most able to send an idea viral, but also the most likely to then shut it down (as it did in Indonesia) to help authorities regain control.

Oh, and Morocco’s ongoing demonstrations also capture the way these movements can develop a cross-platform and decentralised kind of leadership: they’re now going by ‘GenZ212’, combining those Gen Z demographics with the country’s dialling code (212).

But of course, that same online anonymity protecting any movement also protects the domestic security services rushing to penetrate it, not to mention the online grifters and data harvesters soon riding its attention wave (both already evident around GenZ212).

Anyway, things have changed since protests meant popping down to Kinko’s to print out that banner you mocked up on Microsoft Paint (it’s now Canva).

Intrigue’s Take

So… are things worse, or is awareness up, or is patience down? It’s arguably all three.

Either way, governments that don’t adapt are now just walking into a buzz saw. Ideally that adaptation means taking a good look at those first two drivers we explored above: fix your economy, and tackle that corruption.

But realistically, many will focus more on driver three instead: social media. Foreign platforms pose a big threat to unpopular regimes because they can’t control what’s said. That’s why China and Russia already ban them, and why more will follow.