From Social Networking To Activism: The Role Of Social Media In The Free West Papua Campaign

Abstract

West Papua has one of the most repressive rnedia environments in the world with a long history of media censorship and banning of foreign journalists, and only recently has this policy been sornewhat relaxed. The tight media restrictions have led to the increasing use ofsocial media, such as Facebook and Twitter, by West Papuan activists who broadcast the atrocities and human rights violations committed in West Papua. Driven by developments in information and communications technologies, Pacific Islanders are increasingly "switching on" and leveraging social media as a political tool. Digital tools such as hashtags are being used to organize, share, and disseminate stories and Free West Papuan messages. This has garnered suppoft from all over the world and created "digital villages" of Free West Papuan activists. The Free West Papuan campaign has received an unprecedented level of global attention with prominent politicians, such as Papua New Guinea's prime minister, Peter
O'Neil, coming out in support of West Papua with reference to graphic images posted on social media. This article illustrates how social media are ushering in a new wave of Paciffc activism and also fostering the rebirth of bottom-up regionalism in the Pacific using the case of the Free West papua movement.