skills or knowledge, such as encrypted messaging services, free virtual private networks (VPNs) and censorship circumvention applications.13 One of the consequences of the social media thrust was that it allowed for an inclusive and nation-wide movement, as most communication on social media was in Burmese. A United States (US)-based Burmese academic pointed out that Burmese netizens from all walks of life had shed their ethnic identities, struggles and prejudices to unite against a common enemy. This is a hugely significant event in a country wracked by ethnic strife and perpetuated by the military’s old divide-and-rule tactics. In April 2021, despite more than 700 civilian deaths and the Internet crackdown, protests continued to erupt across the country, and military excesses were shared widely across social media.14 Repertoires of collective action and protest largely followed the social media playbook of the past decade and invoked more recent symbols of resistance adopted by protestors against authoritarian rule in Asia or the “Milk Tea Alliance”, 15 such as the threefingered salute.16 Protest actions have included the flower strike, a garbage strike, candle-light vigils, doxing and naming and shaming tactics, particularly of those linked to the military or those who resumed official or professional activities, as well as social punishment, which involves pressuring people not to resume official duties. In the next section, we examine how Facebook and Twitter have played a role in the CDM, taking a closer look at the interactions on these platforms, and identifying salient patterns. Although this preliminary analysis is based on observations of social media pages in English, it provides useful insights and experiences of the crisis and activism in Myanmar. Social Media as Sites of: Resistance Dozens of Facebook pages and groups devoted to the CDM sprung up, ranging from those with a handful of likes to groups such as the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH)-CDM Supporting Team 17 – with more than 400,000 followers. While some of these groups such as the CRPH-CDM Supporting Team were created in direct response to the 13 14 15 16 17 International Crisis Group, “Myanmar’s military struggles to control the virtual battlefield”, Report No. 314, 18 May 2021, https://www.crisisgroup.org/asia/south-east-asia/myanmar/314-myanmars-militarystruggles-control-virtual-battlefield. “Myanmar coup: The people shot dead since the protests began”, BBC, 13 April 2021, Accessed on 22 July: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-56636345. The Milk Tea Alliance originated on social media by a transnational network of youth from Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan engaged in a battle against authoritarian rule in China and its aggression in its neighbourhood. Read more at https://time.com/5904114/milk-tea-alliance/. “First Thailand, now Myanmar: Asia protesters borrow three-finger salute from Hunger Games”, The Straits Times, 4 February 2021, Accessed on 1 September 2021. Facebook Page, Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH- CDM Supporting Team), created on 15 February 2021,https://www.facebook.com/crph.cdm.support/. 4