Kolkata: Friday’s protest rally stood out for the way demonstrators used social media, particularly Instagram and WhatsApp, to mobilise support, circulate information and share dos and don’ts to keep the gathering peaceful. Pop culture, too, became part of the protest vocabulary, with Captain America, Spider-Man, Batman and Iron Man making an appearance as young demonstrators used familiar icons as both shield and slogan.Demonstrators in Kolkata relied heavily on reels, memes, short videos and WhatsApp forwards to reach a wider audience. Srijan Sinha, a JU student, said, “The young generation is hooked on Instagram and WhatsApp. So we made reels, short videos, memes and shared clippings of Jantar Mantar to reach out to people. We also highlighted what was actually happening in Delhi, including the police brutality on students. These contents are decentralised, irreverent and difficult to control and directly challenge the right-wing narratives.”Presidency University student Aive Chakraborty said social media played a key role in drawing people to the protest. “Different organisations made short videos and posted on WhatsApp, Instagram. The huge turnout was because of the campaign on social media. We also used social media to inform the participants not to fall for provocations and shout slogans that can be labelled as ‘anti-national’. We love our country and we are questioning the govt,” Chakraborty added.Marketing professional Bidisha Ghosh, who works in Bhubaneswar, said she learnt about the Kolkata protest through Instagram and family members, and travelled to the city to participate. “I made it a point to take a flight from Bhubaneswar and reach the city on Friday morning so that I can join the protest. The basic demand is that the govt must take accountability and the Union education minister must resign,” she said.Another student said, “I got to know about it from Instagram. As a student, I felt it is my duty to stand up for my rights.”As the march moved from Sealdah to Dharmatala, slogans and songs were accompanied by students wearing masks of Iron Man, Captain America, Batman and other Avengers characters.Avik Chatterjee, a student from Parnasree, came dressed as Spider-Man and drew a parallel between the character’s story and the struggles of students. “I am a huge Spider-Man fan, his main message was ‘with great power comes great responsibility’. Just like Peter Parker faced challenges while trying to do the right thing, many students here are fighting their own battles. That’s why I am standing with them,” he said.The rally also featured unconventional posters and digital displays. One poster with a sanitary napkin attached to it read, “Can’t Stop Leak? Use this.” Another protester carried an iPad displaying slogans demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan.Research scholar Bidu Chanda said the protest reflected a generational shift in the language and style of dissent. “The protest was not at all conventional. Protesters used AI to write slogans, contextualise it. There were many quirky things that caught attention and were about the Gen Zs. Protesters used guitar, ukulele and the most heart-warming thing was the empathy in behaviour and dissent in the voices,” Chanda said.Another protester said, “Just like the Avengers unite to fight threats no single hero can defeat alone, we Gen Zs have come together to defeat the evil forces and reclaim our rightful place.” Several protesters also wore the Guy Fawkes-inspired “V” mask, made globally familiar by the film V for Vendetta and long associated with dissent, anonymity and anti-establishment protest.The costumes gave the rally a striking visual identity, helped amplify images on social media and translated political anger into a language familiar to younger audiences. The masks also offered some anonymity at a time when many protesters feared identification or reprisals. (With inputs from Dwaipayan Ghosh and Subhro Niyogi)
