Net Generation Square People: Mediatization Agents of Social Movement in Hong Kong

In recent years, many social movements have occurred in squares. This paper identifies the characteristics of the square movement young activists and conceptualizes this phenomenal group “Net generation square people.” The aim is to study how they serve as agents in the process of mediatization in social movement arena throughout the years. Previous studies usually focus on the sole agent of media and single case based. Three social movement cases in Hong Kong are employed: the Anti-express Rail Link Movement, the Anti-moral and National Education Movement and the Umbrella Movement.

Findings show that equipped with sophisticated media and information literacy, the Net-gen square people gradually transformed social movement into a media-centric way. Information becomes essential movement resource. They modified the strategies and re-allocated resources according to media logic. Connecting the participants via multiple channels and doing their own media, the Net-gen square people have mobilized social movements heavily media-mediated.