Episode 82: Protesting with Rizz - The Gen Z Protests
From Global in the Granite State by Tim Horgan
October 27, 2025 · 29 min · Episode 82
About this episode
This episode discusses the global wave of protests driven by Gen Z, exploring the role of social media and AI in mobilizing movements.
As technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, the ways in which people, governments, and other entities engage with it morph right along with these generational changes. This is true for the current wave of protests sweeping the globe that got its start in countries from the Andes to the Himalayas. What ties these protests together are not only the demands for a better future, in each country's context, but also the marrying of A.I. with social media to mobilize at hyper-speed. From Nepal, to Madagascar, to Peru and beyond, people are jumping online to then organize and bring people to the streets in protest of the "nepo-babies", living standards, and a lack of a clear path to a better future. In this month's episode we speak with Dr. Janjira Sombatpoonsiri, a Research Fellow at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies, about the features of these protests, what ties them together, and what drives them to change. Looking at the issues of how social media can be used to organize or infiltrate, provide anonymity or easy tracking, and a open playground for manipulation and rage. These trends have all been supercharged over the past several years, as Artificial…
People in this episode
Guest: Dr Janjira Sombatpoonsiri
Topics covered
- protests
- Gen Z
- social media
- Artificial Intelligence
- global movements
Keywords
- mobilization
- nepo-babies
- living standards
- anonymity
- manipulation
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Humor and Nonviolent Struggle
Places: Andes, Himalayas, Nepal, Madagascar, Peru, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Serbia
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- Episode 84: The War the World Ignored · December 16, 2025 · 27 min
- Episode 83: Is War with Venezuela Inevitable? · November 16, 2025 · 37 min
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