Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD
Get unlimited access to 9,500+ magazines, newspapers and Premium stories for just
Try GOLD - Free
Message not received
THE WEEK India
|September 28, 2025
How a communication failure precipitated a political crisis
Analysing Nepal's Gen Z revolution from a communication perspective offers interesting insights.
Most people in Nepal did not know what Discord was until September 10, when thousands of Gen Z revolutionaries used the social platform to select their prime minister candidate and finalise the agenda for negotiations with the president. Even top leaders of virtually all prominent parties—the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), the Nepali Congress (NC) and Maoist groups—were unaware of Discord until protests erupted on September 9.
Nepal's Gen Z had been using Discord for at least two years. They had been hitting out at 'Nepo Kids' on Tiktok, Instagram and Reddit, but their primary platform for organising protest groups was Discord. Protesters also reportedly used Facebook, X, YouTube, Snapchat, Clubhouse and Telegram.
This story is from the September 28, 2025 edition of THE WEEK India.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM THE WEEK India
THE WEEK India
The dura
The dura mater is the brain's personal bodyguard. Tough, fibrous, and uncomplaining, it cover of a treasured book. It doesn't get much limelight, but when something threatens it, the consequences can be swift and unforgiving.
2 mins
September 28, 2025
THE WEEK India
Cinema with spine
Anuparna Roy-the first Indian woman to win the Orizzonti Award for best director at Venice-is not afraid of making the personal political
3 mins
September 28, 2025
THE WEEK India
The Diwali bonanza!
You paid how much for this dhania patta?\" I screamed when I saw those limp sprigs of coriander on the kitchen counter.
3 mins
September 28, 2025
THE WEEK India
HOUSE OF WORDS
A new anthology celebrates Parliament's most powerful speeches and reminds us of its rhetorical decline
8 mins
September 28, 2025
THE WEEK India
Past forward
THE WEEK Heritage Awards is an initiative to transform India's glorious history into a living experience
3 mins
September 28, 2025
THE WEEK India
Message not received
How a communication failure precipitated a political crisis
2 mins
September 28, 2025
THE WEEK India
The cultivation of chaos
Nepal's recurring political upheavals are rooted in a deeper, structural problem
3 mins
September 28, 2025
THE WEEK India
A discovery of India
Coimbatore, often referred to as the ‘Manchester of South India’, is a city I have visited several times for market assessments. However, this time, I found myself stepping into a distinctly new role and in a new avatar. I was invited to address a gathering of students and teachers at the ‘Transformation India Conclave’ organised by SVVM School. Having rarely addressed school students in the past, this was a new experience, and the thought was slightly daunting as I stood before a sea of eager faces—students from Class V to 12—ready to engage, dialogue, and question! They represented a combination of Gen Z and Gen Alpha—tech-fluent, sharp, confident, and curious, with a heightened sense of global awareness.
2 mins
September 28, 2025
THE WEEK India
Allying interests
In its ties with Nepal and Bhutan, India faces a challenge-preserve partnerships without suffocating them
3 mins
September 28, 2025
THE WEEK India
The dura
The dura mater is the brain’s personal bodyguard. Tough, fibrous, and uncomplaining, it lines the inside of the skull like the protective cover of a treasured book. It doesn’t get much limelight, but when something threatens it, the consequences can be swift and unforgiving.
3 mins
September 28, 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size