Natalie Harmening

Swarms: Global Political Protests and Regime Response Natalie Harmening

We know a swarm when we see one; utilizing audience democracy, global political protest swarms impact geopolitics by sweeping local demands onto the world stage. Swarms are symptomatic populist protests that, through the use of modern communications technology, connect with other political actors within the global community who then direct back upon the target of the local populist protest, large-scale global swarm behavior to either influence actions in the people?s interest, or demand creation of democratic political space to allow the voice of the people to be heard. While the digital platform gives political protests the ability to swarm, it also assists repressive forces within both democratic and non-democratic regimes to push back, subdue and control. Where do swarms come from, and how do we explain both swarm action and regime reaction within democracies and non-democracies around the world? Is there a link between modern communications technology and this newly evolved phenomenon? This study of the Newtonian dance between political protest swarms and regimes provides implications and warnings for the future; both for the swarms themselves and for those being stung.