ABSTRACT
Mass protests that have broken out in the last few years in Asia, Europe, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East share many connecting characteristics, but among the most dynamic is that they have all been leaderless rebellions, without mission statements, websites, or committee meetings, but instead hatched over WhatsApp, SMS, and via hashtags, not charismatic party leaders, shiny public relations campaigns, nor catchy advertising slogans. Revolutions using mobile devices set to mobilize rallying members cannot be initiated, nor sustained, without social media. Leaderless rebellions use Facebook groups, text messages, and Twitter among the tactics that allow protests to source ideas from the base which typically derive from grievances aired via social media. The biggest risk of leaderless activism is failure. This chapter discusses the will of the people expressed through social media in leaderless rebellions. Questions addressed range from whether it is possible to use digital activism to maintain a strong agenda without a leader to what happens when things become less nebulous and more formalized/organized, and do the activists follow or scatter?
