Protest Dissent: A Look at Taiwan Sunflower Movement

Image courtesy of Stephen Melkisethian 

In 2014, an anti-China protest movement was held by students in Taiwan. The demonstration aimed to strive as an independent country and to be separated from the Republic of China. In the past, “phones and letters were kept under strict surveillance”; the only way was having underground publications and meetings, spread through flyers or posters. (Chao 2014)

During the protestation period, the importance of modern technology was clearly depicted. Cheng (2014) shared the purpose of this mission was to “create an open and transparent government so that citizens can make better informed decisions.” Working on a reliable Internet environment, g0v.tw (a team over than 100 members) created a live streaming website for updating the on-going news. (Cheng 2014) Besides reporting, the demonstrators made document lists of supplies and funds needed on Google Cloud accessible for public. (Cheng 2014) Facebook was one of the dominant sites used to share and spread the latest information. (Chao 2014) It was clear the two-way communication flow was much emphasized, as these students constantly engaged and interacted with the community.

Through the integration of multiple channels, they managed to transform an ideology into reality.  This new approach had not only helped to strengthen bonds among people with the same interests, but also carried out the movement effectively and productively.