Metamarks and the Limits of Leaderless Revolution in 2024-2025 Gen Z Uprisings
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This opinion paper examines pieces of news covering the 2024-2025 youth uprisings across Kenya, Nepal, Indonesia, Madagascar, Morocco, Peru, and the Philippines through the concept of metamarks -- traces left in digital and physical environments that trigger autonomous, reproducible, and scalable actions. Building on the Stigmergy Network Theory, this analysis argues that metamarks functioned as the primary coordination mechanism enabling disconnected actors to synchronize actions without centralized leadership. The review identifies how specific environmental modifications achieved coordinating power while exposing critical limitations around algorithmic distortion, state interference, and the gap between protest coordination and institutional governance.
