Networked Social Movement in Taiwan: An Analysis of the Sunflower Movement

Networked Social Movement in Taiwan: An Analysis of the Sunflower Movement

This paper looks closely into the Sunflower Movement, active in Taiwan between 18 March and 10 April 2014, to analyse the critical role the Internet played in the movement. After qualitative interviews with scholars and activists in 2017, our findings suggest that the Internet serves as both a tool and space with which Taiwanese society, especially the youth, establish networks and networks of networks, thus helping to accelerate awareness of grievances and consolidate aggrieved individuals into a coherent and powerful movement. While establishing networks, protesters occupying the Legislative Yuan created their own space of autonomy and identity. As the occupation went on, the movement become more diverse and fragmented, which resulted in greater centralization of decision making and gave rise to much criticism. Nevertheless, the Sunflower movement was a transformative social movement in Taiwan, and in that movement the Internet was a crucial tool for networking and challenging the government. This study contributes to the study of social media networks and their impacts on a social movement which informed activists, politicians, and bureaucrats, and how these creates on wider debate over the deployment of the Internet as a tool and space for various political communications.