The Grimshaw Review of International Affairs Vol. 2, No. 1
grassroot efforts, as seen through viral hashtags like #Pray_For_Rohingya, which generated
1.2 million tweets in August 2017 alone, drawing international attention to the Rohingya’s
plight (Elsayed, 2020, p. 29). The increasing salience of user-generated content has thus
redefined how crises are communicated, democratising the flow of information while
challenging traditional media hierarchies.
As a result, this advent of social media has generally enabled the Rohingya to reclaim certain
narratives, providing platforms for self-representation and challenging the dominant
subject-object dynamic inherent within traditional humanitarian systems (Sonia, 2023, p.
18-19). In response, NGOs and humanitarian organisations are increasingly recognising the
presence and role of connectivity in refugee empowerment. The UHHCR has thus advocated
for universal internet access by 2030 for all refugees and internally displaced populations,
emphasising its importance in simultaneously achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) and improving the lives of displaced populations worldwide (UNHCR, 2018; UN
News, 2017; Sonia, 2023, p. 5).
Through a constructivist lens, the solidarity generated through digital advocacy challenges
traditional norms of sovereignty by emphasising human-centric, rather than state-centric,
forms of identity. This shift is exemplified by increasing international support for the
Rohingya as digital platforms have mobilised global audiences to pressure states and
institutions to act on moral and humanitarian grounds. As such, it can be argued that the
advent of digital mobilisation for the Rohingya is pushing for an inclusive norm of
citizenship that counters the exclusionary practices rendering the Rohingya stateless. For
example, the international social media mobilisation following the Burmese military’s 2017
violence against the Rohingya demonstrated the power of digital activism in condemning
human rights violations and creating a “space of visibility” for the once-voiceless Rohingya
to raise their voices and catalyse the international community into advocating for legal
recognition of their rights (Aziz, 2024, p. 5227-5230). Indeed, The Gambia’s 2019 case
against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the U.S. declaration of
genocide not only garnered substantial online engagement and support, but also provided
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