Keyboard Fighters: The Use of ICTs by Activists in Times of Military Coup in Myanmar

Amidst the ongoing anti-military protests in Myanmar since 2021, there is a noticeable research gap on ICT-supported activism. Generally, ICTs play an important role during political crises in conjunction with activists' practices on the ground. Inspired by Resource Mobilization Theory, I conducted qualitative interviews (N=16) and a qualitative online survey (N=34), which demonstrate the intersection between analog and digital domains, showcasing the ingenuity of the activists, and the rapid adoption of ICTs in a country that has experienced a digital revolution within the last few years. As not all people were able to protest on-the-ground, they acted as keyboard fghters to organize protests, to share information, and to support the civil disobedience movement in Myanmar. The study identifes, inter alia, the need for better ofine applications with wider coverage in times of internet shutdowns, applications that cannot be easily identifed during physical controls, and providing free and secure VPN access.

• Human-centered computing → Empirical studies in HCI;

• Security and privacy → Social aspects of security and privacy; Usability in security and privacy.