Nepal’s government retracted a sweeping social media ban that triggered mass protests, during which 19 people were killed. In the aftermath, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned, while public anger and unrest roiled the streets.
In Nepal, the situation became a boiling point when the government banned 26 popular social media apps, prompting mass outrage. Protesters took to the streets, protesting what they saw as an attack on free expression and growing political corruption. Security forces retaliated by using force, killing 19 persons and injuring hundreds more. The uproar increased the amount of anger and global interest, leading to the government removing the ban under pressure.
The situation was further intensified when demonstrators broke curfew orders and attacked political strongholds. They burned the parliament house of Nepal and assaulted the office of Nepali Congress, which was an indication of disillusionment in society. The following day, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned, a development quickly hailed as a success by demonstrators who thronged the war-torn regions, shouting victory slogans. Although Oli’s leaving is a change of direction, most Nepalis are demanding a complete dissolution of the government, as fragmented change may only keep a nation that has suffered 13 different governments since 2008 in the dark.
Media Watcher is a real-time tracker of social media trends and sentiment on any social media platform, allowing an instant response to how citizens are reacting to political events, such as the uprising in Nepal. Through high-performing analytics dashboard solutions, journalists and analysts will easily understand changes in the mood of the population, the trending grievances, and the propagation of protest-related discourse. By providing timely sentiment snapshots and mapping high-impact voices, Media Watcher will enable the newsrooms to create informed and impactful coverage and get ahead when the sentiment of the people suddenly shifts.
