DECODED: Gen Z Youth Leading Protests in Asia

In 2025, a wave of protests swept through Asia, with the younger generation taking the lead. From Indonesia’s ‘Dark Indonesia’ movement to Nepal’s resistance against a social media ban and the Philippines’ youth-led demonstrations against corruption in flood control projects, Gen Z is making its mark. The use of memes as tools for protest has been particularly prominent, with young people in Indonesia, Nepal, and the Philippines leveraging humor and social media to raise awareness and mobilize their communities. In Indonesia, witty memes have helped shed light on government corruption and incompetence, sparking a wave of digital activism. Meanwhile, in Nepal, young activists have used memes to defy censorship and share information about the government’s attempts to control online discourse.