The Youthquake

This volume provides an insightful conceptualisation of how people empowered by digital means have transformed the conventions of political authority, supported by compelling case examples from different nations.

It exposes a profound structural crisis: mainstream Asian newsrooms have been captured by political elites, cross-media corporate conglomerates, and weaponised speech laws. In areas where the established Fourth Estate has surrendered its independent scrutiny to pervasive clientelism, the Fifth Estate has occupied the gap to implement a blunt, direct method of public accountability.

The charm of this collection lies in its sensitivity to the particulars of a horizontal social identity. It illustrates how decentralised actions of Gen-Z serve as catalysts for political disruptions, but rather than embodying naive digital enthusiasm, they face intrinsic challenges in translating protest momentum into sustainable governance frameworks.