Old-school Thai junta faces new adversary: social media, flash mob protests
(Reuters) - The Thai military may have a well-rehearsed coup playbook after overthrowing a dozen governments, but it's never come up against the power of social media, as used by dissenters worldwide to share information - and that may prove a game-changer.
Since seizing control of the state on Thursday, Thailand's armed forces have arrested protest leaders, banned gatherings, gagged domestic media, blocked cable news networks and captured weapons from militant opposition groups. But they are struggling to deal with protests in cities that are erupting more like flash mobs than political rallies.
Protesters appear in droves only to melt away when soldiers link hands to encircle them. And when troops pick off and detain more vocal demonstrators, the others swiftly disperse and regroup elsewhere.
In uprisings as different in origin and outcome as the so-called Arab Spring and the London riots in 2011, the tech-savvy have harnessed social media platforms such as microblogging site Twitter to arrange rally points, share police or military positions and let others know about workarounds should authorities, as in Turkey, attempt to block the online chatter.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/25/thailand-politics-flashmobs-idUSL3N0OB0BT20140525
The revolution will not be televised, it will however be a trending topic on Twitter
