Salome Gogebashvili
Intern at the Georgian Institute of Politics
The Georgian Dream government’s reintroduction and passing of the “Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence” in the spring of 2024 brought an eruption of mass protests across Georgia, especially in Tbilisi. Most of these protests, driven by the younger generation of Georgians, have redefined the spirit of activism in the country and led to discovery of new ways to make their voices heard. They have created a wave of digital activism in parallel with the protests on the streets of the capital of Georgia. This new way of protesting has developed into a reliable tool. It helped the Georgian people express their true position regarding the government’s actions and has created the sense of community that Georgian society so desperately needed.
This online engagement continued to build before, during and after the parliamentary elections of October 26th. Since then, the streets of Tbilisi have been filled with people who are hurt and angry due to the manipulation of the election results and denial of the will of Georgian citizens to become part of the European family.
The Digital Summer
During the summer, the demonstrations had seemed to have died down out in streets, but Georgian online platforms kept on their work behind the scene, mobilizing people for the upcoming elections. The presence of this online protest ensured that civic society in Georgia was still fighting for the main goal – true democracy in the country.
The core of this protest was the group named “Daitove”, which was created during spring 2024. This group was originally formed to help people in the regions find shelter in Tbilisi during the street protests, but it became a major platform for Georgian society to actively participate in public life and share their perspective on Georgian reality. Most importantly, this group has become a tool for mobilizing everyone throughout Georgia – people educating each other, helping, sharing advice. It has also become a way to fight against Georgian Dream and their supporters’ propaganda, which they have been spreading on social media. This group brought together Georgian civil society, no matter the region, and showed what kind of unifying potential digital platforms have.
During summer, before the pivotal elections, Daitove launched a website, which became a main tool for organizing further steps. It posted information about planned activities, meetings and protests. Furthermore, Daitove launched the “Isaubre” talk project to connect public with politicians; the project included weekly online discussions between civil society and opposition leaders. They broadcasted on three platforms: Facebook, Zoom and YouTube. This project was a way of holding politicians accountable, as well assharing everyone’s perspective.
It was a good opportunity for both sides – civil society and the opposition – to find common ground and work together.
For the opposition it was a chance to prove themselves and show what their ambitions are, and for society, it gave a new voice to every citizen, especially those who had emigrated to ask questions and demand answers.
Another remarkable initiative by Daitove is the Observer Academy, where citizens over 18 could register for a position as election observer, receive training and then connect with observer organization. The impressive thing about this was that all the steps were conducted online. One observer, 18 year old Mariam, said” “If it weren’t for the Daitove group,I would not have even considered being an observer as it is the first time I have voted, but now it feels like a duty to my country.”
The online community created a new, safer space for protests and therefore kept the momentum alive. That is the reason why people were able to jump into action when the election period was upon us; digital activism had created a network for like-minded people.
Online rallying before the polls
By the time of the October elections of 26th, this surge of online activism had swept across Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok. With Daitove, new groups formed, like “26”, “Observe”, and “Gamikole”. Each of these groups played a part in organizing people, whetherit was by giving out information about the elections in general or its regulations, or assisting one another in getting to polling stations and protecting the votes. On these platforms, citizens also created new hashtags; “#Govote” and “#Elections2024”, which significantly expanded their reach. Also, it should be acknowledged that influencers played a significant role in the process by providing their followers with crucial election-related information and filmed content that further fuelled the enthusiasm to keep fighting against injustice. These social media movements genuinely demonstrated the next generation’s creativity. They started using videos and memes to further convey their messages with captions like “Me listening to Russian versions of my favourite Western artists” or “Me eating Russian food all because you were too lazy to go to the elections.” They reached out to younger audiences with one main goal, which was to encourage them to actually go and vote.
#IsawFalsification
After the elections, digital activists further increased their activity and shifted their attention to allegations of fraud and manipulation. They launched a campaign,#IsawFalsification, in order to collect concrete proof of vote selling by the ruling party. Social media was flooded with images, videos, and other content demonstrating the various infractions that occurred at the voting places. The campaign was all over Facebook, and it created a centralized space for informing civic society about the violations. As a social media campaign, it was able to unite people to start new demonstrations demanding fair elections.
Digital activism has once again proved that it can be a great tool for mobilization.
This is even more visible now, during December in Tbilisi, as people are gathering everyday to demand new and fair elections. The Daitove group, along with others, has become a primary source of information for the majority of people. It is a platform where you go when you seek support, when you want to address Georgian society; it is here that contemporary Georgian civil society has found its voice again.
Conclusion
As Georgia is still trying to determine what kind of future lies ahead, the role of civic engagement will only grow – online or offline. What we have seen over the past few months is that online spaces are not only the means for mobilization,but they can serve as a much bigger tool in the hands of the people.These online platforms offer everyone a more accessible and a safer alternative to traditional demonstrations out in the streets. They are creative, original and inclusive, and are thus transforming activism in Georgia, making civic engagement available to everyone.
However, there remains a question of whether these movements will be truly effective and have a long-lasting effect. Only time will tell if this wave of digital activism can bring real change in the political system. Nevertheless, we can say that, with these new tools people in Georgia are reshaping their future and creating a community that will demand change over the years to come.
