Free
Tibet movement goes
high-tech By Saransh Sehgal
VIENNA - Frustrated by the fact that their
Free Tibet movement is increasingly losing its
international attractiveness in the real world,
many young exiled Tibetan activists are turning to
the virtual world by making use of social media to
seek support and advocate their cause for Rangzen
(a fully independent Tibet).
But critics
doubt the effectiveness of their new strategy,
saying indulgence in the virtual world without
real action could eventually turn the Free Tibet
movement into a virtual one of self-consolation.
It is a fact in the real world today that many
governments want to maintain good relations with
China, the world's second-largest economy. As
such, they no longer highlight the human-rights
issue when dealing with Beijing. As a result, the
Tibet issue
becomes less and less
significant in major powers' policies toward
China. Particularly after the political retirement
this year of the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan
spiritual leader, the Tibet issue seems to be
increasingly fading from the international arena.
Nowadays, campaigns for solidarity,
candlelight vigils and protests organized by
exiled Tibetans and their supporters outside
Chinese embassies and at international events or
even self-immolations by Tibetans inside China
hardly make headlines in international mainstream
media.
Fearing that the Free Tibet
movement will soon be forgotten, many frustrated
exiled Tibetan activists and their supporters now
resort to the virtual world in hopes that they can
keep the momentum of their cause by spreading
information through social media. Even inside
China, despite Beijing's tough controls on the
Internet, some Tibetans risk their freedom and
even their lives to send out information via
virtual private networks and Internet proxies,
such as photos and videos of self-immolations and
protests against the central government's
repressive policies.
But it is in
Dharamsala, the capital of the exiled Tibetan
community in the Indian Himalayas, from where a
byte of information uploaded on the Internet can
spread globally within seconds to reach Free Tibet
sympathizers and supporters. Many young Tibetans
in exile and their supporters can then quickly
relay the information through social media, hoping
that it can spread worldwide and even penetrate
China itself to arouse the attention of concerned
people.
The exiles believe that in this
way they can make the sufferings of Tibetans
inside China known worldwide, to awaken the
consciences of those who still care about human
rights in Tibet.
Although they have little
direct contact with the 6 million Tibetans still
in their homeland, the exiles maintain good
connections and communication with their
supporters around the world through social
networks such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Tragic videos of monks and nuns setting themselves
on fire have a shocking impression on viewers.
Many exiled Tibetans believe that such a modern
approach can more effectively let the world see
the grim reality inside Tibet and arouse sympathy.
"As a Tibetan working for the [Free Tibet]
cause, I see social media not just as an
intermediary to relay news stories but also as an
important and effective tool to directly connect
individuals together and mobilize the overseas
Tibetan diaspora community, and to awaken global
awareness on the Tibet issue. Social media also
give an opportunity for exiled Tibetans to build a
link with Tibetans inside Tibet despite China's
great firewall," says Dharamsala-based Tsering
Choedup, the Asia regional coordinator at
International Tibet Network, a non-governmental
organization aimed at maximizing the effectiveness
of the worldwide Tibet movement.
The
development of social media within the exiled
Tibetan community started during the Beijing
Olympics in 2008 and grew rapidly during the exile
community's general elections in 2011.
Beijing also understands the power of the
new technology and has recently announced plans to
strengthen control on the Internet further and
scan micro-blogging sites frequently used by
Tibetans. However, news stories about troubles in
Tibet still manage to be sent out. The Chinese
government constantly blames the Dalai Lama and
overseas Tibetans for making trouble inside the
region.
A good example of Beijing's
cyber-control is how it deals with Tsering Woeser,
a Tibetan poet, writer and blogger currently
living in Beijing who supports human rights inside
Tibet. Woeser keeps updating news on her weblog
Invisible Tibet. As a result, Chinese authorities
keep a close watch on her and often put her under
house arrest.
Leading activist groups such
as the Tibetan Youth Congress, Students for a Free
Tibet, the Tibetan Women's Association and various
others have fomed social media groups and conduct
online campaigning. Interestingly, many young
radical Tibetans have Rangzen as their middle
names on Facebook and other social websites.
Shibayan Raha, an Indian online organizer
and firm supporter of the Free Tibet movement,
says: "Social media are changing the [methods] and
the face of the movement. Since 2008, Tibetans
inside Tibet have used social media on a daily
basis to communicate with the outside world,
especially exiled activists from the movement.
"At the same time we can see how Tibetans
inside Tibet are remarkably using these very same
services on a proxy server and sending out
information. Most of the self-immolation pictures,
news [and] videos have come through social media
websites.
"China surely has tried hard to
curb these activities, but it apparently [has
failed] miserably. The news is being carried all
over the world."
The Tibetan diaspora is
paradoxically claimed as the most successful
refugee community in the world, and the Internet
has become increasingly important in the lives of
many refugees, often termed "the digital
diaspora". Online anti-China campaigns run on
social-media platforms have proliferated within
Tibetan exile communities across the world and
among their overseas friends. Tibetan monks and
nuns, despite their strict monastic lifestyle, too
have started embracing social-media technology,
and thousands of them are seen sharing information
and commenting on Facebook. Many informative
websites have also come up with Chinese-language
versions to reach out to the Chinese public.
Many exiled Tibetan intellectuals consider
social media to have transformed the Free Tibet
movement, so expect it to continue.
Phurbu
Thinley, a well-known Tibetan journalist based in
Dharamsala, believes that "for Tibetans, it is the
way forward to resort to all kinds of peaceful
approaches ... Social media have become a
convenient alternative source and vehicle of
information for the scattered exiled Tibetan
community and their supporters around the world.
They also make such information open to more
open-minded Chinese people in China and abroad.
"Social media, when used effectively,
[constitute] a powerful tool to promote activism
and change, and even to ignite large unprecedented
public events. Tibetans are aware of this.
Tibetans are aware of the role played by social
networks during the uprisings in the Arab world,"
Thinley adds.
But not all campaigners
believe this is going in the right direction. Joe
Hamilton, a German supporter of the Free Tibet
movement, says: "Of course people do get the
chance to access videos and information. However,
this is all about communication. It is not as
strong as participating in protests; with a click
people [think] they have contributed. The outcome
won't be as strong as listening to a Tibetan monk
or nun telling their story. The only tool is the
street; hit the streets and change will come."
Dibyesh Anand, associate professor in
international relations at the University of
Westminster, who recently hosted the Dalai Lama's
talk on "Values of Democracy and Tibet" at the
London institution, says: "Social media no doubt
facilitate dissemination of information and
mobilization of activists by reducing the time and
cost of doing so. However, they do not make
revolutions, nor do they bring meaningful change.
It is people on the street alone who can force a
significant change in states' policies.
"If we take the example of the use of
social media by Tibetans and their supporters, my
impression is that the circle within which the
images and stories circulate remains confined.
That is, very few non-supporters are converted to
the cause. Social media allow us to live in a
bubble of active cyber-citizenry.
"But
this should not give a false illusion that there
are more supporters for the Tibetan cause due to
social media than there were without it. Social
media are especifically insignificant when it
comes to the Tibetan issue because they face
severe restrictions in Chinese-controlled Tibet,
where most Tibetans live. That Tibetans in
diaspora use them extensively and thus create a
cyber-nation is an interesting phenomenon, but
nowhere as important as protests and resistance
inside Tibet. So a cautionary tale of social media
and Tibet is better than a celebratory one."
However, while the exiled Tibetans remain
in an imbroglio over how to carry on their
movement and find a possible solution to win
freedom for their homeland so that they can go
back together with the Dalai Lama, many believe
tech-savvy work will help their struggle and raise
publicity for their cause.
Saransh
Sehgal is a contributor based in Dharamsala,
India, who currently is pursuing further study in
Vienna, Austria. He can be reached at
saranshsehgal@gmail.com.
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