MB/sec Activism

Based on 16 focus group discussions, this article examines how civic engagement in Kazakhstan has evolved from visible street activism to digital and localized forms of participation. We note that, whilst until the Qantar events, street protests were an accepted, and somehow normalized, way of expressing discontent, the dramatic outcome of January 2022 has reduced citizens’ willingness to take the street, but not necessarily their interest in political participation. We then document how citizens have been increasingly expressing their views, and seeking dialogue with the institutions, through online petitions, social media campaigns, and digital complaints, using safer and more individualised channels to influence public affairs. These actions reveal a process of strategic withdrawal from overt protest and a reorientation toward less confrontational, yet still meaningful, modes of engagement. We suggest that, rather than signaling apathy, this shift reflects an adaptation in how participation occurs. We then conceptualise this transformation as a recalibration of political agency—one that bridges online and offline spheres and operates between state and society. We eventually inquiry on the advantages and limitations of an approach where the state, which is also the target of discontent, is the first actor to create a space for a dialogue but can, in case, also close these channels

Cognitive reframing · Political activism · Politics · Process (computing · Public space · SAFER · Social media · Space (punctuation) · State (computer science · Global Security and Public Health · Legal, Health, Environmental and COVID-19 Challenges · Social Media and Politics