On Bulgarian Protest Wave

When protest turns viral.
TikTok has changed the game. Last week, 100,000-150,000 people from diverse backgrounds protested in Bulgaria against the government and the systemic corruption, mobilised mainly through TikTok by influencers, activists, and the opposition. The platform has become a central engine for rapid mass mobilisation. What does this mean for social movement studies?

1. Protests after 2008 were primarily organised on Facebook. In other countries, Twitter also played a key role. Today, the main arena is TikTok. This changes the scale, timing, and reach of mobilization.

2. Scale: earlier protest waves in Bulgaria, but also in most CEE countries, often became enclosed within specific social groups, mostly the urban middle-classes. Now TikTok spreads the mobilisation across people with different incomes, views, and ethnic backgrounds.

3. Timing: while Facebook-driven protests needed weeks to gain momentum, usually after being presented on national TVs, now TikTok turns an issue viral within a few hours.

4. Reach: this protest stands out through the strong participation of the youngest generation (aged 16 to 25). Also, for the first time, a large number of voices from the Turkish and Roma minorities have also become visible, openly speaking out against the oligarchic elites who have long instrumentalized their communities.