The age demanded that we sing And cut away our tongue.

The age demanded that we flow And hammered in the bung.

The age demanded that we dance And jammed us into iron pants.

And in the end the age was handed The sort of shit that it demanded.

(“The Age Demanded” by Ernest Hemingway)

In the shadows of capitalist digital empires, or technocracies, many contradictions breed. Within our hyperconnected existence, where algorithms dictate what trends and what fades, building online solidarity for political causes has become a paradoxical endeavour. Consider two recent instances where the impact of social media has been marked by contradictions- the Pro-Palestine protests (worldwide since October 2023) and Nepal protests (starting September 8, 2025) triggered by a blanket ban on social media.

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