The Global Pandemic Has Spawned New Forms of Activism — and They're Flourishing

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the world was experiencing unprecedented levels of mass mobilization. The decade from 2010 to 2019 saw more mass movements demanding radical change around the world than in any period since World War II. Since the pandemic struck, however, street mobilization — mass demonstrations, rallies, protests, and sit-ins — has largely ground to an abrupt halt in places as diverse as India, Lebanon, Chile, Hong Kong, Iraq, Algeria, and the United States.

The near cessation of street protests does not mean that people power has dissipated. We have been collecting data on the various methods that people have used to express solidarity or adapted to press for change in the midst of this crisis. In just several weeks' time, we've identified nearly 100 distinct methods of nonviolent action that include physical, virtual and hybrid actions — and we're still counting. Far from condemning social movements to obsolescence, the pandemic — and governments’ responses to it — are spawning new tools, new strategies, and new motivation to push for change....