| dc.description.abstract | This study analyzes digital activism under state surveillance, focusing on the role
of the encrypted digital platforms Telegram and LIHKG during the 2019 anti-
extradition bill protests in Hong Kong amid state digital surveillance. The research
analyzes data obtained from Telegram, LIHKG forum discussion logs, and
international news reports. The main findings demonstrate four key points. First,
there is a complementary functional dichotomy in which Telegram serves as a real-
time tactical tool for on-the-ground mobilization, while LIHKG functions as an
anonymous deliberative space for formulating long-term strategies. Second, the
platforms’ anonymity proved to be a double-edged sword; on one hand, it
protected demonstrators’ identities, while on the other, it triggered an internal
crisis of trust stemming from fears of state infiltration and the spread of
disinformation. Third, Telegram successfully evolved beyond a communication
tool into a decentralized humanitarian infrastructure ("network of care") that
provided physical protection, logistics, and psychological support among
demonstrators. Fourth, the narrative analysis reveals a sharp contrast between
external institutional media, which predominantly framed the protests around
physical violence, and the platforms’ internal communications, which focused on
tactical safety and the movement’s operational survival. Ultimately, this study
elaborates on the theory of Digital Activism alongside other supporting theories,
namely affective publics, connective action, and networked social movements. It
demonstrates that digital decentralization reconstructs a temporary (ad hoc)
functional hierarchy in which coordination remains concentrated through highly
curatorial roles. | en_US |
