Real Protests in The Age of Reels

Thousands of students have taken to the grounds, protesting for hours in the heat in Jharkhand. Earlier in the day, the Jharkhand police used water cannons, lobbed tear gas shells, and lathi-charged job aspirants. The protesters tried to breach police barricades and reach the State Assembly.

In today's hyper-digital world, where a small tweet or a reaction could make you viral. The stark contrast between the widespread traction of the CJP examination protests and the relatively muted visibility of the Jharkhand student protests has sparked a larger conversation: is social media activism becoming selective?

Protest Becomes “Shareable”

While both movements hold their ground rooted in student grievances and systematic issues. There is only one that managed to dominate our screens for weeks. It drew influencer attention, got celebrities to post online and brought out the keyboard warriors from their hibernation.

One factor of how the virality of a movement can be easily understood is by the influencer you follow, the reels you watch and the opinions you form based on the other person's views. One needs to oil their eyes and ears well before forming any opinion online. Quite often, people rush into a herd mentality and fight with passion that falls flat when their logic is questioned. Political content creator Arpit Sharma explains, “A protest becomes ‘digitally legible’ if it’s instantly recognisable, easy to understand, and simple to replicate online.”

The Algorithm Factor

Social media platforms are not neutral spaces, if anything they are strident. The CJP protest, which centred around a hunger strike, a widely relatable issue of NEET exam paper leaks, stress, fairness, and future uncertainty, lent themselves easily to shareable content online. In contrast to the Jharkhand student protest, though equally significant, it lacked the same “jasbha” and algorithm-friendly packaging. What began as a protest over exam and job irregularities has now turned into a larger rebellion against a system with lathi charges, tear gas and water cannons are now part of our protests to disperse protesters marching towards the assembly. As Sharma notes, “Digital traction often depends on how well a protest aligns with moments of peak public attention. If it connects to an ongoing issue… visibility increases significantly.”

Additionally, the scale of the issue contributed to its amplification. A national-level exam affects millions, making it instantly relatable across geographies. This relatability created emotional momentum, encouraging more people to engage, share, and participate.

Sharma highlights this shift, saying, “Content creators… have a more personal connection with people now. People wanted to hear from micro-influencers because they were talking the same language as the normal audience.” Once micro-influencers set the tone, mainstream celebrities often follow further boosting visibility. “When celebs come into the picture, it is like a stamp—verified & approved,” he adds.

At the CJP protest, an exact pattern followed Influencers created the initial buzz, and celebrity participation amplified it further. The Jharkhand protests, however, initially lacked this layered amplification, limiting their reach.

Illusion of Consensus

Social media algorithms play a silent but decisive role in shaping public perception. Teacher and content creator Manthan Gattani points out, “For many people Instagram has become the source of news and algorithms show you what part of the narrative you want to see.” He adds that repeated exposure can influence beliefs: “Even if you don’t believe in something… you start considering it and eventually start believing it.”

Despite global reach and geography movements emerge from metropolitan centres. They often receive disproportionate attention. Sharma observes, “A protest being in the heart of the country the capital creates much more impact.” He also notes that regions like Jharkhand are often underrepresented in mainstream discourse, making it harder for their issues to gain traction.

“We are not protesting because we want attention. We are protesting because we have spent years preparing for these exams and jobs. We refuse to let our future be decided by a system we cannot trust,” says an anonymous protestor.

The Power—and Limits

There is no denying that digital platforms can mobilise people on a massive scale. The CJP protests saw significant on-ground participation, partly driven by online narratives.However, this also underscores a key limitation: movements that fail to gain online traction may struggle to achieve similar momentum, regardless of their legitimacy. Gattani puts it bluntly: “100%… social media activism has become selective.”

Another layer shaping digital activism is political alignment and audience bias. According to Gattani, “Very few are genuinely concerned about the cause, others are just doing selective activism.”

At the same time, Gen Z’s role in these movements is both powerful and complex. Gattani, drawing from his experience as a teacher, says, “Gen Z is fearless and always online. But what they lack is deep understanding… their source of knowledge is Instagram reels.”

While this may be a contested view, it reflects a broader concern: that speed and visibility may sometimes come at the cost of nuance.

The story of these two protests is not just about what trended and what didn’t. It is about how attention works in the digital age. It is about the power structures within platforms that decide which voices are amplified and which are sidelined.