In the space of three weeks, South Korea has seen a brief declaration of martial law, its sudden repeal and the impeachment of its president, Yoon Suk Yeol. One underappreciated driver of the recent drama is the rise of YouTube-based agitators, activists and influencers, who both benefit from and fuel a new brand of populism. The effects in South Korea are stark – but the trend is global. An extremely online constituency In South Korea’s 2022 election, Yoon trailed his opponent for much of the campaign. His aggressive populist politics drew some support, but he looked set to fail. Then…
Author: Timothy Koskie, Postdoctoral researcher, School of Media and Communications, University of Sydney
When Pavel Durov arrived in France on his private jet last Saturday, he was greeted by police who promptly arrested him. As the founder of the direct messaging platform Telegram, he was accused of facilitating the widespread crimes committed on it. The following day, a French judge extended Durov’s initial period of detention, allowing police to detain him for up to 96 hours. Telegram has rejected the allegations against Durov. In a statement, the company said: It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform. The case may have far-reaching international…